Germany threatens steps against Israel as tone shifts over Gaza

Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, threatened unspecified measures against Israel on Tuesday and said Berlin would not export weapons used to break humanitarian law.

Germany, along with the US, had long remained in support of Israel's conduct since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, even as Israel became increasingly isolated internationally. Its about-turn comes as the European Union is reviewing its Israel policy and Britain, France and Canada also threatened "concrete actions" over Gaza.

Speaking to broadcaster WDR, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned Germany's historic support for Israel must not be instrumentalised, as massive air strikes and shortages of food and medicines had made the situation in Gaza "unbearable".

Earlier, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised air strikes on Gaza as no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas and "no longer comprehensible", in comments at a press conference in Finland.

"Where we see dangers of harm, we will of course intervene and certainly not supply weapons so that there will be further harm," Wadephul said, adding that no new weapons orders were currently under consideration.

The shift in government stance comes after calls among the junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, to halt arms exports to Israel or else risk what the move's backers say would be German complicity in war crimes.

Worsening Hunger

Attacks on Gaza killed dozens in recent days, and the population of more than 2 million faces worsening hunger and starvation, according to a U.N.-backed monitor.

Efforts to revive a short-lived ceasefire that broke down in March have made little visible progress, although one regional diplomat said talks were still going on in Doha and there remained a chance for a deal.

The German comments are notable given that Merz won elections in February promising to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on German soil in defiance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"The massive military strikes by the Israelis in the Gaza Strip no longer reveal any logic to me - how they serve the goal of confronting terror," Merz said in Turku, Finland.