A source close to the ministry cited a senior government official as saying it had stopped work on approving export licences for arms to Israel due to legal and political pressure from legal cases arguing that such exports from Germany breached humanitarian law. The Economy Ministry has not responded to requests for comment. However, the German government did issue a statement after the Reuters story was published.

“There is no German arms export boycott against Israel,” government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said.

In its defence of two cases, one before the International Court of Justice and one in Berlin brought by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the government has said no weapons of war have been exported under any licence issued since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, apart from spares for long-term contracts, the source added.