Sharp Rise in German Military Export Approvals for Israel
Germany has approved 10 times more in military gear exports to Israel so far this year, official data showed Wednesday, as Berlin said it was prioritizing requests from the country after Hamas’s deadly attack.
Data up to November 2 this year showed export approvals issued for 303 million euros ($324 million) worth of military equipment to Israel, almost 10 times more than the 32 million euros in authorizations a year ago.
Close to 19 million euros worth of goods fall in the “war weapons” category, while the bulk of around 284 million euros’ worth were in the “other military goods” category, including gear like armored vehicles or radar technology.
“After the terrorist attack of Hamas on Israel, the German government is prioritising the processing of and decisions on applications for the export of military equipment to Israel,” said a source from the economy ministry.
Since October 7, when Hamas gunmen stormed across the border, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians in their homes, in the streets, and at a music festival, German authorities processed 185 purchasing applications for military gear.
For the year to November 2, the authorities approved 218 Israeli requests, the ministry source said, without providing details on how many of the authorizations came post-October 7.
Israel has declared war on Hamas over the October 7 attack, heavily bombarding Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, before sending in ground troops. More than 10,500 people, mostly civilians have been killed in the war, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
