Germany is expected to lift the arms embargo which it imposed on Israel in the wake of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Amit Segal of Channel 12 News reported on Thursday night.
According to the report, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar spoke earlier on Thursday with his German counterpart and requested the removal of restrictions on arms exports to Israel.
In August, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Berlin would not approve the transfer of military equipment to Israel, including weapons which could be used in the war in Gaza.
In a statement announcing the move, Merz said he is "very concerned about the suffering of the population in the Strip." He also demanded that Israel "not take any steps toward annexation" of Judea and Samaria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Merz after his announcement of the arms embargo and expressed his disappointment with the decision.
“Instead of supporting Israel's just war against Hamas, which carried out the most horrific attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel's goal is not to take over Gaza, but to free Gaza from Hamas and enable a peaceful government to be established there,” it added.
Merz’s decision also drew sharp criticism from within his own political bloc.
The Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian branch of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union, said it had not been consulted before the announcement and questioned the policy shift.
CSU lawmaker Stephan Pilsinger warned the decision could have consequences for Germany’s own security. “Currently, we feel like we benefit more from Israel in terms of security policy than Israel benefits from us,” he told the Augsburger Allgemeine.