GERMANY ENFORCES PARTIAL ARMS EMBARGO ON ISRAEL AMID GAZA OCCUPATION PLAN. (PHOTO).

 Germany enforces partial arms embargo on Israel amid Gaza occupation plan

Germany announced Friday that it will impose a partial arms embargo on Israel in response to the Israeli cabinet’s approval of a new offensive aimed at occupying Gaza City. This marks an unprecedented step by one of Israel’s closest European allies and its second most important partner after the United States.

The decision follows Israel’s Security Cabinet’s late Thursday approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to begin the occupation of Gaza City, the first phase of a larger plan that could involve occupying the entire Gaza Strip. The move was made despite opposition from IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Eyal Zamir and has drawn immediate condemnation across Europe and the Arab world. Israeli officials indicated the military plans to issue eviction orders for about one million Palestinians in Gaza City and surrounding areas, aiming to evacuate civilians ahead of a ground offensive combined with a siege on Hamas militants.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the offensive “makes it increasingly difficult to see” how a ceasefire, hostage release, and disarmament of Hamas can be achieved. As a result, Germany will halt exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice. Merz emphasized that the Israeli government now “bears even greater responsibility” for the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, have also condemned the decision and called for its reversal.

Germany’s embargo is a notable shift, as it had previously been the most reluctant major European power to impose penalties on Israel over its actions in Gaza. The move could signal a new willingness among EU countries to consider stronger sanctions, such as suspending Israel from the EU’s Horizon research grant program or even suspending the EU-Israel free trade agreement, initiatives supported by countries like the Netherlands and Italy. This growing distancing from Netanyahu’s government highlights a broader European trend of criticism toward Israel’s current policies amid the conflict.