In August, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that his country would "immediately stop exporting weapons and combat equipment that would be used in the Gaza Strip, until further notice"
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| German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (front right) walks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in front of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Julia Kloeckner, president of the Bundestag (lower house of parliament), and Stephan Harbarth (L), president of Germany's Federal Constitutional Court in the Reichstag building in Berlin on November 16, 2025. (Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) |
Germany announced on Monday that following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on the war in Gaza, it will resume exporting weapons to Israel starting next week, after having halted part of the exports last August.
I welcome Chancellor Merz’s move to revoke the decision regarding the partial "embargo".
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) November 17, 2025
I call on other governments to adopt similar decisions, following Germany
This comes after Netanyahu's conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday, following which the Israeli Prime Minister's office released the following statement:
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently had a good and friendly conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during which they discussed political and regional issues."
As recalled, the German Chancellor declared last August that "Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas terrorism," but at the same time announced that his country "will immediately cease exporting weapons and military equipment to Israel that will be used in the Gaza Strip, until further notice."
He emphasized that, "Negotiations, a ceasefire, and the release of the hostages are our top priority."
✌️🇮🇱pic.twitter.com/CfdGl1zftC
— Alaa Muhsin (@AlaaMuhsinu) November 17, 2025
Merz says German support for Israel 'will not change'
This decision came in the wake of the Israeli cabinet’s decision regarding the takeover of Gaza City, which sparked harsh criticism around the world.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had then referred to the remarks of Chancellor Scholz in a statement issued in English by his office. "The Prime Minister expressed his disappointment with Scholz's decision to impose an arms embargo on Israel. Instead of supporting Israel's just war against Hamas, which carried out the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding terror by imposing an arms embargo on Israel."
"The objective is not to take over Gaza, but to free Gaza from Hamas and allow the establishment of a peaceful government there," he added.
As of the decision to halt exports, Germany was ranked second among the countries exporting weapons to Israel, with estimates suggesting it accounted for over 30 percent of the country's defense imports.
Additionally, it is important to note that in the summer of 2023, a major deal was signed between Israel Aerospace Industries and Germany for the sale of the "Arrow 3" system for $3.5 billion (about 14 billion shekels).
In light of this, the decision to halt arms exports to Israel marked a significant turning point in the security relations between the countries.
This move was preceded by considerable pressure on the chancellor from his coalition partners, who demanded that he promote more extreme actions and measures against Israel.
