Germany at ICJ says no arms licenses issued to Israel for weeks

German representatives told the International Court of Justice on Monday that Berlin suspended arms export licenses to Israel for several weeks in 2025, blocking all approvals between August and September before partially resuming shipments under strict conditions that excluded Gaza operations. The delegation stated that licensing figures fell significantly during the August-to-November period, with federal authorities halting all arms export approvals for nearly five weeks.

"The figures for licenses granted for the final export of arms to Israel fell significantly in the period from 8th of August to 23rd of November 2025, during which the federal government restricted its arms exports to Israel, in fact, no arms export licenses for final export to Israel were issued in the period from 8th of August to 12th of September," the representative said, noting that later approvals covered only equipment incompatible with use in Gaza. Berlin linked the resumption of processing in late 2025 to a ceasefire agreement reached in the Palestinian territory.

Media reports contrast with Berlin's defense

Der Spiegel reported last week that Berlin approved nearly €800 million worth of military equipment exports to Israel during the first half of the year, disclosures that emerged as Nicaragua pursues its case against Germany at the ICJ. The German side maintained that its restrictions responded to specific Israeli military operations and were designed to ensure compatibility with international humanitarian law, adding that licensing policies undergo continuous governmental review and judicial scrutiny by domestic courts.

Nicaragua accuses Germany of genocide convention breach

Nicaragua accuses Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law by furnishing political, financial and military support to Israel while cutting funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. German lawyers rejected the allegations and challenged the court's jurisdiction to hear Managua's claims. Hearings on Germany's preliminary objections began earlier this week in The Hague.