Peloni: This was a significant blow. Importantly, much of what has been shipped to Israel since October 7 from Germany has been products purchased under previously signed contracts, and needed replacement parts for existing systems. Also, the fate of the yet to be completed Dolphin submarines from Germany are as now not being affected by this arms suspension.
FDD | Aug 8, 2025
Latest Developments
- Merz Confirms Military Exports Halt: The German government has announced a suspension of certain military exports to Israel following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to take over Gaza City as the next step in the Jewish state’s bid to eliminate Hamas from the coastal enclave. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asserted that the “even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved.” He added, “under these circumstances, the German government will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.” Following the announcement, Netanyahu held a phone call with Merz in which he expressed “disappointment” with the decision, with his office subsequently issuing a statement charging Germany with “rewarding Hamas terrorism.”
- Germany Significant Supplier of Weaponry to Israel: Germany is the second-largest exporter of arms to Israel after the United States, having supplied 30 percent of Israel’s foreign-made weaponry between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in southern Israel, which sparked the current war in Gaza, Germany reportedly shipped roughly $350 million worth of arms exports to Israel in 2023 and roughly $150 million in 2024. The supplies reportedly included 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons, 500,000 rounds of ammunition for fully and semi-automatic firearms, as well as other fuses and propellants, alongside armored vehicles, military trucks, and safety glass.
- Israel Supporters Criticize Merz: Merz’s announcement was strongly criticized by supporters of Israel in Germany, as well as by the country’s Jewish community. Volker Beck, the president of the German-Israeli Society, called it a “victory for Hamas in the global propaganda war,” adding, “What is the right course of action in the Gaza Strip now is also politically and militarily controversial in Israel. We don’t know that ourselves. But above all, we don’t know any better.” Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, panned Merz’s decision as running “counter to all expressions of solidarity and promises that the Chancellor has made since taking office.”
FDD Expert Response
“Throughout the war in Gaza, Germany has emphasized time and again that its support for Israel is a special responsibility and a ‘Staatsräson’ — a reason of state — forged in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust. Merz’s decision reflects poorly on that historic commitment. Even so, given Israel’s increasing isolation in an international community that has embraced many elements of the Hamas narrative, Israel’s leaders need to examine what measures can be taken to reassure Germany, until now their most important ally inside the European Union.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director
“If Israel’s proposed operation in Gaza City is intended as a threat to erode Hamas’s obstinacy at the negotiating table, international pushback has already undermined that plan. The pushback — especially from friends of Israel — bolsters Hamas’s refusal to surrender. While many world powers acknowledge the need to remove Hamas, they actively oppose the actions necessary to degrade the Iran-backed terrorist group. Israel, therefore, must balance its security needs and its battered international standing, which ultimately makes the Jewish state less secure.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst
FDD Background and Analysis
“Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plans for Gaza City Takeover, Evacuation of Civilians,” FDD Flash Brief
“UK and Germany Agree to Sell Eurofighter Typhoon Jets to Turkey,” FDD Flash Brief
“How Germany’s New Leader Can Make History,” by Ben Cohen
“Germany Shuts Down Iranian Consulates, Urges Sanctions Following Citizen’s Execution,” FDD Flash Brief
Well if the Germans were delivering submarine parts, unless the IDF intends to invade the tunnels off Gaza, we are good.
Germany cfrwated th4 conditions of this standoff. Hitler took dieection from the Mufti of Palestine on the exter
What a shame that yet another European country has fallen. Nobody seems to understand that taking away a reasonably sized weapon will only ensure the use of a larger one. This is on the level if a self fulfilling prophesy, where the claims that Israel is committing genocide may actually come true. If there is no other way to stop the terrorists, live ammunition will be employed rather than pepper spray. The same countries, including Germany, do this kind of thing all the time to push back demonstrators who will not cease and desist, but they scream when Israel does it.
“Nobody seems to understand that taking away a reasonably sized weapon will only ensure the use of a larger one.”
I was just thinking that…