Germany stops approving new arms export licences for Israel: Report

A Reuters report that new licences for the export of "weapons of war" to Israel have been put on hold by Germany pending legal challenges has been denied by the German government.

Citing data from Germany's economy ministry and a source close to it, Reuters reported that licences for "weapons of war" to Israel amounted to just $36,150 in 2024 and total arms exports dropped to $16.1m.

In 2023, arms exports including military equipment and weapons of war totalled $363.5m - a 10-fold increase from 2022. 

According to the report, Germany "had stopped work on approving export licences for arms to Israel pending a resolution of legal cases arguing that such exports from Germany breached humanitarian law".

However, on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Economic Ministry told news agency DPA: "There is no ban on arms exports to Israel, and there will be no ban."

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