Germany has decided to lift a suspension of military exports to Israel that could be used to devastating effect in Gaza, citing the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Sebastian Hille, a spokesperson for the chancellor, told reporters on Monday that the weapons export restrictions will be lifted on November 24.
“Since October 10, we have had a ceasefire in Gaza and it has fundamentally stabilised,” Hille said, referencing the truce as “the basis for this decision”.
“We expect everyone to keep to the agreements that were reached – that includes the ceasefire holding, that includes humanitarian aid being provided on a large scale and the process continuing to run in an orderly way, as agreed,” he added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had announced the restrictions in August after the Israeli cabinet decided to proceed with a brutal campaign to seize and destroy Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the besieged enclave.
One of the top weapons exporters to Israel, Germany has been a staunch supporter of the Israeli government despite the assault on Gaza, which leading rights experts have described as a genocide.
On Monday, Hille, the German government representative, did not discuss details about the types and volume of the weapons and equipment Berlin provides to Israel, or whether any had actually been held over the past several months.
Germany will continue to examine military exports to Israel on a case-by-case basis, as is Berlin’s standard practice with such exports for all countries, he said.
But despite assertions of a stable ceasefire, Israel has been carrying out deadly attacks in Gaza almost daily. It has also continued with its restrictions on aid and temporary housing to Gaza, maintaining a horrific humanitarian crisis that has been exacerbated by the rainy weather conditions.
Additional to its political and military backing of Israel, Germany has cracked down on Israel’s critics at home, regularly detaining protesters against the Gaza genocide and banning events in support of Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar was quick to praise Germany’s decision to lift restrictions on arms to Israel on Monday.
“I call on other governments to adopt similar decisions, following Germany,” Saar wrote on X.
At the time of the suspension in August, Israel had lashed out against the decision, using its common refrain that such moves “reward terrorism”.
Berlin repeatedly emphasises Israel’s “right to defend itself”.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany provided 30 percent of Israel’s major arms imports between 2019 and 2023.
The military assets exported by Germany primarily included naval equipment like Saar 6-class frigates, which were used to attack Gaza.
In one poll released in September, 62 percent of German respondents said they believed Israel’s actions in Gaza constituted a genocide.
