Scholz vows Germany to soon send Israel more weapons amid deep drop in deliveries

Chancellor makes pledge after German opposition leader accuses government of refusing to approve export permits for ammo, tank parts

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a special session of the German parliament marking the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel, at the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin, October 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a special session of the German parliament marking the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel, at the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin, October 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

BERLIN — Germany will supply more weapons to Israel soon, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, after a significant drop in deliveries this year prompted opposition accusations that Berlin deliberately delayed the exports.

“We have not decided not to supply weapons. We have supplied weapons and we will supply weapons,” Scholz told the German parliament at an event to commemorate the victims of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, countering an accusation from opposition leader Friedrich Merz.

The government had made decisions “that also ensure that there will be further deliveries soon,” the chancellor said.

Merz, leader of Germany’s conservative opposition, accused the government of delaying arms exports to Israel, including ammunition and spare tank parts.

“For weeks and months, the federal government has refused to grant export permits for ammunition and even spare parts for tanks,” Merz said at the parliamentary session.

“We are aware of several specific cases where the government has withheld approval for equipment and material that Israel urgently needs to defend itself,” Merz added.

An IDF tank operates in southern Lebanon, October 10, 2024. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

Germany’s approvals for arms exports to Israel dropped sharply this year, with only 14.5 million euros’ ($16 million) worth granted from January to August 21, according to data provided by the Economy Ministry in response to a parliamentary question.

In 2023, Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth 326.5 million euros ($356 million) including military equipment and war weapons, a 10-fold increase from 2022, data from the ministry, which approves export licenses, showed.

Commenting on the fall in exports, the German government has said there is no arms export boycott on Israel, and export permits are issued case-by-case after careful review, taking into account international law, foreign policy, and security considerations.

War erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas in Gaza and save 251 people who were abducted from the country during the terrorist assault and taken as hostages to Gaza.

The war has also engulfed neighboring Lebanon. Hezbollah began launching attacks on Israel on October 8, creating a perilous regional crisis. After nearly a year of warnings to the terror group, Israel in recent weeks launched a major campaign against it that includes the entry of ground forces into the country’s south to clear Hezbollah infrastructure.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 42,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 17,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 350.

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