German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz has announced that his government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.

He acknowledged Israel’s right to “defend itself from Hamas’s terror” adding that the “disarmament of Hamas is essential.” He also asserted that the release of the hostages and negotiations for a ceasefire are Germany’s top priorities.

However, he warn that in the view of the German government, the “even tougher military action taken by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, which was decided last night by the Israeli cabinet, makes it increasingly difficult to see how these goals are to be achieved.”

Additionally, Merz stressed the German government’s “deep concern” about the ongoing suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, adding that “with the planned offensive, the Israeli government bears even greater responsibility than before for providing for their needs.”

He called on Israel to allow comprehensive access for aid deliveries, including for UN organisations and other NGOs, and said that Israel “must continue to comprehensively and sustainably address the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

Moreover, he called on Israel’s government “not to take any further steps toward annexing the West Bank.”

Israel imports almost 70% of its military arsenal from the US, the world’s largest arms exporter. Germany is Israel’s second biggest supplier and since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza started in October 2023, Berlin has exported €485 million worth of weapons.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, between 2020 and 2024, Germany was the second largest supplier of arms to Israel, making up 33% of the country’s total arms imports. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1% of Israel’s military kit.

Calls For Germany To Increase Pressure On Israel

Merz’s remarks came amid calls for Germany to increase pressure on Israel. According to a latest poll, a clear majority of Germans believe that the Chancellor should increase pressure on Israel.

However, the fate of the hostages still being held captive by the Islamist terrorist group Hamas remains the main concern.

Both Merz and his predecessor, Olaf Scholz of the center-left Social Democratic Party(SPD) which is currently Merz’s junior coalition partner, had always emphasized that they believed Germany still had a special responsibility for Israel’s existence.

However, among voters surveyed this week, only 31% still think so.

Merz’s comments also come amid a sea change of opinion among a number of Western countries about how the war on Hamas in Gaza is being fought and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

In July, the Foreign Ministers of 28 countries, including Belgium and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement saying the war “must end now” and that Israel must comply with international law.

The Foreign Ministers said “the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths” and condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.”

In January, Israel banned the main UN organisation delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, from operating, claiming the agency turned a blind eye to Hamas members in its ranks.

Responsibility for aid distribution was handed over to the opaque US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which had no previous experience of delivering aid to combat zones.

Its delivery method has been criticised by established aid groups and deliveries at its four distribution sites across Gaza have often seen people killed, either in crowd crushes or after Israeli forces or security contractors opened fire near aid-seekers.

Also last month, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September, adding that he hoped the move would help bring peace to the region.

Shortly after that announcement, Portugal’s government said it was consulting the country’s main political parties about potential recognition of a Palestinian state.