GRAZ, Austria – Germany will halt weapons exports to Israel until further notice in response to the Netanyahu government’s decision to militarily occupy Gaza City.

The halt will prevent the granting of permissions for the export of all weapons and military goods “that may be utilized in the Gaza Strip,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced in Berlin on Friday.

He said the step was a direct response to “the Israeli cabinet’s decision to take even tougher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip,” which was announced the night before.

The Israeli political decision to undertake a majorly expanded ground operation was made despite the Israeli Defense Forces’ chief of staff and other senior officers openly opposing plans for a complete takeover of the territory.

The announcement by Merz represents the continuation of a remarkable shift in Berlin’s position vis-à-vis Israel.

Germany has long stood as a stalwart supporter of Tel Aviv for a sense of historical responsibility rooted in the atrocities of the Holocaust. This has sometimes put the government in Berlin at odds with public opinion.

During his announcement, Merz reaffirmed Israel’s “right to self-defense” and the necessity of disarming Hamas.

Since the start of the conflict until mid-May, Berlin approved the delivery of €485 million ($565 million) in weapons and military gear to Israel, according to a government tally.

Germany accounted for around 30% of Israel’s arms imports between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, placing it second only to the United States. German weapons exports to Israel grew significantly following the start of hostilities in the fall of 2023.

Previously, Chancellor Merz’s government had warned Israel that the country risked consequences if it continued its disproportionate response to Hamas’ attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

In May, Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, called the situation in the Palestinian Gaza Strip “unbearable,” and said that a halt to arms and even sanctions were on the table if Israel continued unabated.

The Gaza Health Ministry has counted over 61,000 Palestinians killed in the war. Independent studies suggest that the actual number may be significantly higher.

Local health authorities reported that nearly 200 people, almost half of whom were children, have died of hunger in the conflict. The World Health Organization, an impartial UN Agency, said that about 12,000 children younger than five were suffering from acute malnutrition in July.

In late July, Germany and Jordan announced a joint air lift operation to supply Gaza with food and medicine from the air.

Pressure has mounted on the Israeli government in recent months as the human suffering in the Gaza Strip reached new levels as a result of indiscriminate Israeli bombing and blockading of the territory.

Several Western governments traditionally supportive of Israel have shifted their stance in response. France, the UK and Canada all announced their intention to formally recognize a Palestinian state, something Germany has not yet done.

Human rights organizations, including several in Israel, have called Israeli actions against the Palestinian people genocidal.

Berlin’s halt of weapons deliveries does not represent a total arms embargo, and it leaves the door open for the delivery of gear that cannot be used against Gaza, such as potentially air defense systems.