The demands come as Israel continues a new large-scale ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. The operation aims to expand Israeli control over the territory.
The Israeli campaign was launched in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led cross-border attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people; another 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
The European Commission has urged Israel to “exercise the utmost restraint,” an EU spokesperson told a press briefing in early May. Meanwhile, Israel recently eased its nearly three-month blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Senior SPD lawmaker Ralf Stegner warned in the same magazine article that “the humanitarian catastrophe for the Palestinian civilian population and the violation of international law by the Netanyahu government must be stopped immediately — and must not be prolonged with German weapons.”
Germany had long upheld a policy of not exporting arms to active conflict zones. Israel was granted an exception on the grounds of national defense. “But that no longer applies to what’s currently happening in Gaza and the West Bank,” Stegner told Stern.
SPD parliamentarian Isabel Cademartori warned that Germany could become legally complicit in war crimes through its weapons deliveries. “This could lead to Germany itself being held accountable by international courts,” she told Stern. She called on the government to halt exports, specifically of tank ammunition and spare parts.
Merz’s spokesperson refused to comment on the demands from the SPD politicians during the government’s Monday press conference.
Germany approved €326.5 million in arms exports to Israel in 2023 — a sharp increase from previous years, according to Reuters. In 2024, however, export approvals halved as legal and political scrutiny mounted, both at home and abroad.
