The German government announced on Monday that it was ending a partial suspension of arms supplies to Israel for use in Gaza.
Spokesman Stephen Cornelius said, “The government welcomes the ceasefire in Gaza which came into force on 10 October and which has been stabilized in recent weeks.”
“The government is returning to examining arms exports on a case-by-case basis and will respond to further developments,” Cornelius said.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a partial suspension of arms deliveries in August in view of the large number of civilian deaths in Israeli attacks.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been regularly violated, with hundreds of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since October 10.
The suspension of arms exports to Israel, which was criticized for not covering all arms exports, will be lifted on 24 November.
Why did Germany stop arms sales to Israel?
The original suspension marked a major change in Germany’s stance on Israel, with Berlin traditionally one of Israel’s closest and most supportive allies.
Germany increased its arms exports to Israel following the Hamas attack on 7 October, although it had come under increasing international pressure to support Israel as the number of civilian deaths in Gaza increased.
Amid growing condemnation of Israel’s aggressive stance in the Strip and just days before a planned new ground offensive, Germany changed its stance and said it was halting arms deliveries for use in Gaza.
All deliveries were not stopped, and the following month, at least €2.46 million (about $2.85 million) worth of military equipment was given government approval. However, this was significantly less than the €250 million approved for exports between January 1 and August 8, 2025.
Edited by: Elisabeth Schumacher