Public sentiment is predominantly critical of Germany's late decision to suspend arms exports to Israel, viewing it as a minimal gesture in response to ongoing human rights violations in Gaza. Many commenters express disappointment over perceived complicity in Israel's actions for an extended period, calling for stronger accountability and ethical military dealings. While some show support for the action, they emphasize the urgency for further measures against the crisis.

Germany

Israel

Palestinian people

GreenEyeOfADemon

The German government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday in response to Israel's plan to expand its military operations there.

Israel's political-security cabinet approved a plan early on Friday to occupy Gaza City, a move expanding military operations despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating, almost two-year-old war.

  
The German government believes that the even tougher military action in the Gaza Strip decided upon by the Israeli cabinet last night makes it increasingly difficult to see how these goals can be achieved," said Merz in a statement.

"Under these circumstances, the German government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice."

Wagamaga

German military exports to Israel in were about 326 Million Euros in 2023. 20 Million of those needed a permission of the government because of the "Kriegswaffenkontrollgesetz". Exports were 10x higher than 2022 and the number went down again in 2024. 

So he can maybe stop what would be the costs of 2-5 Patriot missiles. Not the whole system, just the missiles. That's basically nothing, but he'll get good publicity nevertheless, because people are clueless. Well done Fritz.

Frederica07

Sanctions need to come soon, the international community can’t afford to wait. The semblance of international law is eroding and will lead to further conflicts. Any country can pull up an old map and claim God gave them the right to their neighbors territory.

brassmonkey666

What? Really? We showed some balls. That's fresh.

WardenJack

Dutch government also stopped delivery of marine equipment to Israel https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/collectie/13959/artikel/2577921

Nerioner

ZadeAlien

How much do you have to fuck up as Israel to have Germany turn on you?

ifkidsrantheairport

As a Cypriot I heavily regret and hate the current governments closeness to the Israelis, I cannot in good conscience support them.

cypriotakis

Is Germany growing a back bone, or worried rightly so they will be accused of helping with genocide

PoppedCork

“Wait, you thought these guns were for Gaza? Absolutely not, they’re for the West Bank (and Lebanon, and Syria, and Yemen, and Iran, etc.)” - “Oh great! Sorry for the misunderstanding. When would you like them delivered?”

noneedn

Great, now send them to Ukraine, they are the ones who are really fighting an existential threat.

Live-Alternative-435

This is a difficult but correct decision. Israel must comply with international law.

PreferenceContent628

mertseger67

Meanwhile they were just [deporting](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/03/germany-deporting-pro-palestine-eu-citizens-chilling-new-step) people for asking for this exactly.

Their position seems to essentially be what israel is doing is wrong but being against it is also wrong.

soalone34

Lol after all the destruction and genocide ….
Why this showcase?

Guilty-Row-3226

We need sanctions of the type against Russia. Minimal trade with Israel, limitations against Israeli businesses operating outside Israel, and individual sanctions against their politicians.

coleto22

What about stopping all of them altogether instead? You are quite late for that already

Toums95

They should have done that 20.000 dead children ago

Manealendil

Maybe I'll get bombed to oblivion for this comment, but I'd still like to express one concern. Germany and other European nations have invested in Israeli military equipment. Mainly Atmos 2000 and PULS mlrs with Germany investing in the Arrow 3 system. I have some concern that Israel, especially Natanyahu, could use this halt of military exports against Europe in case of a Russian invasion and simply say "Well you halted exports to us. Now you need our equipment and ammo. What if we halt exports to you now?"

Oh, I agree that we shouldn't have invested in Israeli equipment to begin with. Just to say that in advance.

SimonArgead

It just took 200.000+ lives and thats just one country out of god knows how many

Decent-Moment-8337

dsades1

All exports should be halted, we need an arms embargo, to break the commercial treaty and international sanctions, Europe can't be complicit in a genocide like the US and the arab states

NARVALhacker69

Lost-Letterhead-6615

The genocide already happened. Germany is only avoiding the final part, which is the annexation of Gaza.

toerken

How generous. 

Arming the occupiers for years. Fully endorsing and actively supporting the Palestinian genocide. 

Half arsed virtue signalling at best

Search for pics of the german gov laughing and shaking hands with Netanyahu and co. Theres a lot.

prettybluefoxes

Xygami

We are all waiting for the implementation of promises to the German military.

Cookies4weights

This has no real measurable effect on weapon exports. Just Merz trying to score some cheap points with his future voter base.

TheBlindMonkk

HanLan1

Yeah because the destruction is already done, they're just doing it to save face now.

unknownphantom

OkBaker51

Better late than never I guess.  But It’s been 2 years of unflinching support from the German gov.   Blood won’t wash off their hands that easily

ResponsibleTrain1059

Finally! I know Germany has guilt over the holocaust that Israel plays like a fiddle but was waiting for them to finally realise they were supporting another genocide by proxy.


Looking at the photos of the starvation taking place in Gaza reminds me of the photos of the starving people they found in the camps in WW2

Salaas

Miserable-Dig-761

Good but kind of late. Gaza is destroyed it is rubble at this point. 

Katia657

Now? When there's nothing left to destroy in Gaza?

cookiesnooper

It only took 2 years, a genocide, famine, and the total collapse of the health system.

2k_x2

Swesteel

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehi_(militant_group)

It was initially called the National Military Organization in Israel,[17] upon being founded in August 1940, but was renamed Lehi one month later.[2] The group referred to its members as terrorists[18] and admitted to having carried out acts of terrorism.[14][19][20]

In December 1940, Lehi contacted Germany with a proposal to aid German conquest in the Middle East in return for recognition of a Jewish state open to unlimited immigration.


If this was offered to the German government right now they’d accept that shit in a heartbeat.

Sufficient_astrobird

Scum of the earth. 

Now that the genocide is nearly complete, they are all rushing to virtue signal " Bad Israel...BAD!!!".

Loostreaks

Well, well, look who finally grew a concious.

Infinite-Salt4772

imranhere2

About time. Always on the wrong side of history

Full_Assignment666

Good. 
Now send em to help Ukraine, and you do two great things in one.

OffOption

PixelsAreMyHobby

So all military equipment? Nice. Hopefully other countries follow suit.

musususnapim

Utstein

parkaman

Something something horse, something stable door

smallon12

Finally Germany is taking some steps. I believe the Germans will make the right decision at the end. Btw it’s off topic however I really wanna know. Some people claim there was a genocide of Germans after the world war 2 has ended. Is that true?

yourcodingguy

It’s interesting that the UK and France haven’t gone this far despite Germany being much less critical than them. I suspect there is some catch because so far none of them seem willing to apply real pressure and hurt their war effort or economy as pushback.

It is about time!!!

Stand up against the history that haunts you. 
Especially when the victims of the past are the tyrants of today.

nomadicsoul79

When Israel started the genocide, Germany increased the exportation of weapons by 10 times! Germany was like, 'let me help you with that'. Now that the only Gazans left alive are starving cripples, they halt the exports. Damage has already been done. Israel doesn't even need weapons anymore to finish the genocide.

Good on Germany, but way the fuck too late!

FliccC

US needs to stop exporting bombs to blow up civs.  And stop the $4B subsidy IXRL is a rich country.

Brilliant-Gas9464

So it took Slovenia doing it first to then make others do it?

maticheksezheni


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This is major. Anyone from Germany can explain what the internal politics are like atm?

_II_I_I__I__I_I_II_

"Are you going to use these in Gaza?"

"No. 👀"

"OK. Here you go!"

funglegunk

If Germany tells you you have gone nuts, accept it. They have literal experience and they know. Even though I believe this is just a BS PR move.


Germany has always been on the wrong side of history.

MohaShah

Oblivious_Lich

plastic_fortress

According to statistics by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2023, Germany provided Israel with 47 percent of its total imports of conventional arms, with the US supplying 53 percent.  

  
This is insane.

bleedairleft

The fear of being condemned for complicity in genocide, that's all. The German government has no compassion for the Palestinian people.

ronny916

Once the genocide doesn't require any more weapons, they stop shipping weapons. And the hand washing from the blood of thousands of innocent civilians commence.

CheValierXP

In a normal world, we would have reacted with "Wtf? They were exporting arms to a genocidal apartheid state?" but in this timeline, we gotta be happy about them finally stopping, I guess.

ilimlidevrimci

We found the limits of Germany's slavish devotion to Israel within 24 hrs of learning the official release date for GTA VI. Coincidence? Probably.

Libba_Loo

It was about damn time. Didn’t think their genocide brothers would do thi but good to see common sense prevail

skhanmac

"for use in gaza"

oh look at all meine loopholes!

GetOutOfTheWhey

They announced this in Oct/24 and it was a lie.

pandaslovetigers

After arming the zionist genocide of Palestinians now they want to try and wash their hands... the Hague is waiting for these terrorists.

liverblow

samoan_ninja

VeryBigHamasBase

They will resume shipments in 2 weeks. Mark my words

Old_Veterinarian_745

Really interesting to see this while they also arrest people protesting against Israel and in support of Palestine. Good to see this, still.

saltyourhash

The Liberal Government of Canada has been pretending to not sell arms to Isreal during the entire conflict. 

We have been selling them weapons and facilitating genocide the entire time of course.

Ibn_Khaldun

bittersweet.   Germany's been draconian on Palestinian activism and parroting the IDF's line. Any western 180 this late into it, while welcome, just looks performative.

TendieRetard

Kratos501st

Good glad to see a country that realises what's happening.

Sufficient-Brick-188

Do they really suspend? Or is it just more words from the enablers of genocide while their actions continue?

We live in a world now where words mean nothing. Action is the only thing I believe.

Aggressive_Trick_654

But still ships arms for use in the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, Iran and for training snipers on head, neck and groin days.

Dissidentt

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&gt; Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, criticised the move, claiming Germany was “rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel”.

Even mild criticism to pander to the electorate invites nothing but rage from the Israeli leadership—according to Netanyahu and his cronies Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and the New York Times are also Hamas. Actually taking action against Israel won’t make the vitriol and invective any worse, so they figured they might as well start taking some concrete action. It pains me to say, but it’s the remarkably thin skins of our ruling class in the face of the Yahoo’s narcissistic bullshit, and the fear of losing elections—as much if not much more so than any humanitarian consideration—that’s causing them to finally take some weak, belated action.

globeglobeglobe

As long as the U.S. keeps backing them, the secondary.members of the western coalition can drop their (direct) support and the main consequence is just that that country loses their slice of the War-Pie 

That being said its obviously good that this is happening

iprefercumsole

What does that phrase "that could be used in Gaza" actually mean in this context?

cojoco

Last week, I read a German news article where they discussed if Israels conduct in Gaza constitutes a genocide. And while they are pretty mealy mouthed in their conclusion, simply the fact that a German outlet uses the word genocide in the context of Israel signals a drastic shift. Just a year ago, the outlet would have been smeared as antisemitic for using that word.

Few_Tomorrow11

Tinkering at the edges so they can rebut future claims they were on the wrong side of history. This is all about legacy preservation and nothing about actual justice,

MarketCrache

Two years too late. Did they have to wait till the place was flattened to take measures?

qjxj

Merz himself was thankful for "doing the dirty work for us" and the Germans support that, the export of arms will continue this is just a PR statement.

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🔗 Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20250808120740/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/08/gaza-hunger-starvation-famine-treatment/

MiddleList52

My mother hates it when I take the Lord’s name but oh God, oh Jesus, what else can be said in the face of such naked evil?

otterdammerung

I don’t understand how the Israelis think this is solving anything except causing true hate that will survive generations

LalLemmer

Never again .....except this time......they promise.....sort of.....

BlueTeamMember

Odd in that all the photos and videos of HAMAS fighters in Gaza none appear malnourished.

Hoppie1064

“Gaza is starving is objectively true. It’s also misleading, it’s too passive. Gaza is being starved by Israel.”

Dependent-Hurry9808

myaccountcg

Now that the weapons aren't needed anymore and the entire population can be starved to death. Jesus Christ

Fair_Lawfulness_8875

I call bullshit. Germany is lying. They will send arms and get a contract that says 'not for use in Gaza'.

ScreamOfVengeance

Cool!

But I still want a war crimes trial with all responsible in the facilitation of this very well documented Genocide to be held fully accountable.

bomboclawt75

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a suspension of military exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, citing concerns over Israel's military strategy.

Germany Suspends Arms Exports to Israel Amid Gaza Crisis

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