Germany's new government approved $4.6M in arms exports to Israel

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - Germany's new government has approved arms exports worth nearly €4 million ($4.6 million) to Israel in its first five weeks in office, according to a government document released on Thursday.

The coalition government, led by Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, authorized military equipment deliveries valued at €3.9 million between May 7 and June 10, 2025, though these did not include weapons of war, the government informed parliament.

The approval comes amid growing international condemnation of Israel’s genocidal policies in Gaza, where more than 55,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), while international pressure mounts for increased humanitarian access to the enclave.

Last month, German Chancellor Merz sharply criticized Israel's new military offensive in Gaza, stating that blocking aid and expanding military operations “can no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism.”

Nevertheless, citing Germany's Nazi past, his government maintains it has a special responsibility for Israel's security and refuses to impose an arms embargo.

The previous German government under Social Democrat Olaf Scholz had approved arms exports to Israel worth nearly half a billion euros between 2023 and 2025, with €28 million approved in the first quarter of 2025 alone, making Israel the tenth-largest recipient of German military equipment, according to the German press agency DPA.