The German government has announced that it will lift restrictions on arms exports to Israel imposed three and a half months ago due to the war in Gaza. The deputy spokesman of the German executive, Sebastian Hille, justifies this measure with the ceasefire in force since 10 October between Israel and Hamas, which has “stabilized in recent weeks”.
The measure will come into force on November 24, according to the spokesperson, who also explained that “Israel strives to achieve lasting peace and has increased humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.” In this way the German government will return to the usual practice in arms exports: “examining each case individually and reacting to new developments”. He stated this at a regular press conference in Berlin, where he noted that this does not mean that all applications will be approved.
“The government has always maintained that the restriction on arms exports to Israel would be reviewed in light of current developments, and this is what has now been done,” the spokesperson added, without commenting on whether this decision might be reviewed again if the situation worsens again. With this announcement everything indicates that now, for example, Israel will once again be able to purchase the desired engines for its Merkava tanks, produced by the German company Renk.
“We now assume that this is a sustainable ceasefire, then this decision is responsible and correct,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said. According to the conservative politician from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the decision of Friedrich Merz’s government was not taken lightly, but rather “thoroughly” prepared. His Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, praised this lifting of restrictions and called on other governments to “follow Germany’s example and make similar decisions.”
On August 8, the German Chancellor ordered that, temporarily, no further exports to Israel of weapons that could be used in the Gaza war would be permitted. Germany has thus stopped sending rifles, ammunition, submarines and tanks in response to the increasingly aggressive actions of the Israeli armed forces. Until then, Berlin had gradually intensified its criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government due to international pressure, but had refrained from imposing sanctions unlike other countries.
Among conservatives, Merz’s decision to impose restrictions on Israel later caused great irritation, and the chancellor was accused of having made the decision without consulting them. Harsh criticism also came from Israel: in his usual language, Netanyahu even accused Germany of rewarding the Islamist group Hamas for its terrorist actions with its decision.
Israel, a special case
The Ministry of Economy has the task of carefully evaluating each request, as well as verifying whether international law and official arms export policy are respected. The German government’s export guidelines generally prohibit the supply of war materials to war and crisis zones.
However, there are exceptions. Among them, support for Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invader. Israel is also a special case: faced with the extermination of six million Jews carried out by the Nazis in Europe, Germany considers Israel’s security a question of reason of state.
After the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, German authorities initially even increased arms exports to Israel to demonstrate their solidarity. The government of then Chancellor Olaf Scholz granted export licenses worth almost 500 million euros until Merz was appointed as the new chancellor on May 6, 2025, following the general election last February. The executive of the coalition between conservatives and social democrats also continued to allow the export of military equipment to Israel, but only to a small extent until it decided to stop the shipment of weapons.
