Overview

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz ordered the pause on 8 August for any equipment that could be used in the Gaza war.
• No licences were issued from 8 August to 12 September, and the newly reported approvals occurred between 13 and 22 September.
• The approvals total at least €2.46 million, a small sum compared with roughly €250 million authorised from 1 January to 8 August.
• Officials classify the items as “other military goods,” not war weapons, and the ministry lists broad categories without identifying exact goods.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the policy shift, while Left Party lawmaker Lea Reisner called the pause misleading.