Germany will halt exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, in response to Israel’s plan to expand its operations there. 

The public announcement, which emphasised the human suffering in Gaza, marks a significant shift in Berlin’s policy towards its longtime ally.

“The German government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice,” Mr Merz said in a statement.

On Friday, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to take over Gaza City, in a major escalation of the country’s war in Gaza, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Mr Netanyahu’s office has not confirmed when an increased military assault would begin in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has not confirmed when an increased military assault would begin in Gaza, according to Israeli media. (Reuters: Ronen Zvulun)

Mr Merz acknowledged Israel’s right to disarm Hamas and seek the release of Israeli hostages, but said the Israeli decision “makes it increasingly difficult to see how these goals can be achieved”.

Germany’s steadfast and long-standing support for Israel, based on Holocaust guilt, has been badly strained by Gaza’s mounting death toll and humanitarian crisis, which have prompted demands from the German public for government action.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany provided 30 per cent of Israel’s major arms imports in 2019-2023, primarily naval equipment including Sa’ar 6-class frigates (MEKO A-100 Light Frigates), which have been used in the Gaza war.

Israel has approved a takeover of Gaza City. Here’s what that could mean

While Israel’s security cabinet has — for now — only approved a takeover of Gaza City, it is still a major escalation in the war that targets the symbolic heart of Gaza.

Mr Merz said the release of hostages and ceasefire negotiations were Germany’s top priorities, along with civilian suffering.

He also urged the Israeli government not to take any further steps towards annexing parts of the West Bank.

Far-right members of Mr Netanyahu’s coalition have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza, though the military has warned this could jeopardise the lives of surviving hostages.

Germany’s parliament reported in June that export licences for 485 million euros ($866 million) of military equipment for Israel had been granted between the day of the Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war, October 7, 2023, and May 13, 2025.

After the Hamas attack, Germany increased its arms exports to Israel roughly tenfold in 2023.

Human rights groups launched legal challenges, saying the weapons could be used in the Gaza war. 

International condemnation

Israel’s latest announcement will likely see the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) move troops into Gaza City and potentially expand into other unoccupied areas, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled to.

Israel occupying Gaza City marks a shift in a blood-soaked, condemned war

Twenty years ago, Israeli soldiers were dragging recalcitrant Jewish settlers out of their homes in Gaza. Now they are returning, with tanks and bulldozers.

Hamas on Friday described Israel’s decision to take control of Gaza City as a “war crime”, adding that the Israeli government “does not care about the fate of its hostages”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted on X: “The Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately.

“Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions.” 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Israel must reconsider its plan to take control of Gaza City.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered,” she wrote on X.

Saudi Arabia also condemned any Israeli move to take control of Gaza.

The kingdom “categorically denounces Israeli occupation authorities’ persistence in committing crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people,” it said in a statement.

Egypt and Denmark condemned Israel’s announced plan to occupy Gaza City, while Belgium summonsed the Israeli ambassador.

Belgium expressed its “total disapproval of this decision, but also of the continued colonisation … and the desire to annex the West Bank,” adding that it will “vigorously advocate” for a reversal of this decision.

Reuters

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