‘Reckless’: Rights group decries Germany lifting arms embargo on Israel

Amnesty International has criticised the German government’s decision to lift an arms embargo on Israel, calling it “reckless” and “unlawful.”

In August, Germany lifted nearly all arms sales to Israel as a result of growing domestic pressure. As Israeli forces continued to conduct a contentious ground operation in Gaza City, that was inevitable.

However, Sebastian Hille, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesperson, announced last week that the policy had been reversed, citing the Gaza ceasefire on October 10. He claimed that things have “fundamentally stabilized” the enclave.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns, said in a statement on Monday that “the time is absolutely not here to ease this pressure.”

Germany’s decision to temporarily suspend arms shipments to Israel sends the wrong message to Israel, according to Guevara-Rosas, saying that it is reckless, unlawful, and sends the wrong message to it. It allows it to continue to commit genocide, war crimes, and apartheid against Palestinians and to unlawfully occupy the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, without fear of consequences.

She described Germany’s adolescence as “one of the few forms of meaningful pressure put forth by the international community against Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”

Israel has been accused of violating the ceasefire and of denying Gaza assistance on numerous occasions. At least 69,733 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and at least four have been killed on Monday.

Beyond the United States, which has repeatedly refused to take advantage of the billions of dollars in weapons it gives to its allies, Germany is the second-largest supplier of weapons to Israel.

According to Amnesty, which cited government data, Germany has exported export licenses worth more than 485 million euros ($559m) between October 7, 2023, and May 12, 2025.

Anti-tank weapons and gearboxes for the Merkava tanks used in Gaza were among the weapons that were transferred.