In Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's view, Germany is rewarding the terrorist organization Hamas with the partial ban on arms exports. He expressed his disappointment to Chancellor Merz, his office said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Germany of rewarding the Islamist Hamas with its decision to impose a partial arms export ban. His office said he expressed his disappointment in a conversation with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"Instead of supporting Israel's just war against Hamas, which has perpetrated the most horrific attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding Hamas' terrorism with an arms embargo on Israel," the statement read. Netanyahu said Israel's goal is not to take over the Gaza Strip, but to liberate the Palestinian territory from Hamas and enable a peaceful government there.

Germany stops arms exports

Chancellor Merz announced at noon that he would no longer supply Israel with military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip. The CDU politician justified the decision with the"even tougher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, which had been decided on by the Israeli cabinet last night."

With the planned offensive, the Israeli government bears even greater responsibility for providing aid to the civilian population than before. The government must allow comprehensive access for aid deliveries, including for UN organizations and other non-governmental institutions."After the correct steps taken in recent days, Israel must continue to comprehensively and sustainably improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza," Merz said.

Furthermore, according to Merz, the German government"urgently calls on the Israeli government not to take any further steps toward annexing the West Bank."

Israel plans to take Gaza City

Israel had announced that it would expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip. After hours of deliberations, the Israeli security cabinet decided to capture Gaza. The largest city in the Palestinian Territories has been the target of several Israeli attacks since the war began some 22 months ago.

Five principles were also adopted to end the war in the Gaza Strip: the disarmament of the Islamist Hamas, the return of all hostages - alive or dead - the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli security control of the coastal area, and the establishment of a civil administration that would be subordinate neither to the terrorist organization Hamas nor to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Palestinians call for emergency UN Security Council meeting

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed"deep alarm" over the Israeli government's decision to take control of Gaza City. His office said this represents a"dangerous escalation" and could further exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinian population. Guterres warned that this"further escalation will lead to additional forced displacement, killings, and massive destruction, further exacerbating the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip."

He continued: "Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a Palestinian state." A sustainable solution to the conflict is only possible through an end to the occupation and the realization of a two-state solution.

The Palestinian UN mission called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the Israeli announcement to seize Gaza City. The meeting must be convened immediately – if possible on Friday or Saturday, said Palestinian UN Ambassador Riad Mansur. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's plan is"insane, irresponsible, dangerous, and malicious." He pointed out that approximately one million Palestinians live in the city.

"Our goal is to deter Israel from this extremely dangerous escalation," he said."We must all pull together to stop this madness and allow peace as an alternative to war and the continuation of suffering."

Weapons and equipment worth half a billion euros delivered

The German government had previously rejected a ban on arms exports to Israel. In October of last year, the traffic light coalition under then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) even expanded the authorizations for arms deliveries.

Since the Hamas terror attack almost two years ago, which led to the Gaza War, it has approved arms exports worth almost half a billion euros. From October 7, 2023, to May 13, 2025, the delivery of weapons and military equipment worth 485.1 million euros to Israel was permitted, as the Federal Ministry of Economics recently responded to a query from the Left Party.