German authorities have approved a significantly larger volume of military exports to Israel this year, with total supplies valued at 303 million euros. This compares to 32 million euros in 2022, according to the reporting of Reuters and the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
As of October 7, 2024, roughly 185 of 218 individual export permits, about 85 percent, were issued by German authorities. An agency source noted that in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel, applications for exporting military equipment to Israel were assessed on a priority basis and approved with heightened urgency.
Lethal weapons represent a small portion of the shipments, accounting for about 6 percent or 19 million euros. The majority of exports consist of armored vehicles, protective glass, and trucks. Germany also provides Israel with components for air defense and communications systems.
In a separate development, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that there could be no solution to the Middle East crisis that sidesteps Palestinian rights and concerns. She called for pragmatic decisions about governance in the Gaza Strip and practical steps toward a two-state framework.
Since October 7, the situation in the region has deteriorated as thousands of Hamas militants crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip. More than 200 hostages have been reported captured.
Hamas declared several thousand rocket launches against Israel and announced the initiation of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war. The Israel Defense Forces launched the operation titled Iron Swords, with the objective of targeting Hamas leadership and infrastructure in Gaza. The Israeli Air Force conducted extensive strikes on Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip, and the National Security Council of Israel moved to cut off essential supplies including water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the territory.
On October 13, reports from Israel indicated that the United Nations warned about the potential evacuation of 1.1 million Palestinians from northern Gaza within 24 hours in advance of a possible ground operation.
A former Hamas spokesman commented that the West had built an almost unbridgeable divide between itself and the broader Arab world, reflecting a long-standing sense of estrangement and mistrust.