Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 10, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGermany halts arms exports to Israel due to Gaza expansion plans, citing humanitarian concerns. Chancellor Merz emphasizes diplomatic support.
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's decision to curb arms exports to Israel comes in response to Israel's plan to expand its operations in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday in an interview with public broadcaster ARD.
"We cannot deliver weapons into a conflict that is now being pursued exclusively by military means," Merz said. "We want to help diplomatically, and we are doing so."
The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel's plans to expand military control over the enclave have pushed Germany to take this historically fraught step.
The chancellor said in the interview that the expansion of Israel's operations in Gaza could claim hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and would require the evacuation of the entire city of Gaza.
"Where are these people supposed to go?" Merz said. "We can't do that, we won't do that, and I will not do that."
Nevertheless, the principles of Germany's Israel policy remain unchanged, the chancellor said.
"Germany has stood firmly by Israel's side for 80 years. That will not change," Merz said.
Germany is Israel's second-biggest weapons supplier after the U.S. and has long been one of its staunchest supporters, principally because of its historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust - a policy known as the "Staatsraison".
(Reporting by Maria Martinez; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Germany's decision to curb arms exports to Israel is in response to Israel's plan to expand its operations in the Gaza Strip, as stated by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Chancellor Merz highlighted that the expansion of Israel's operations in Gaza could claim hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and necessitate the evacuation of the entire city of Gaza.
Chancellor Merz emphasized that Germany has stood firmly by Israel's side for 80 years, a commitment that remains unchanged despite the current situation.
Merz stated that Germany cannot deliver weapons into a conflict pursued exclusively by military means, indicating a preference for diplomatic solutions.
Germany is Israel's second-biggest weapons supplier after the U.S., reflecting a long-standing support rooted in historical context.
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