Wadephul: Future arms deliveries to Israel depend on the situation in Gaza

(Patria) - Germany will decide whether to approve new arms deliveries to Israel based on an assessment of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in an interview on Friday.

Wadephul questioned whether Israel's actions in the war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza are in line with international law.

"We are examining this and, if necessary, we will approve further arms deliveries based on this check," he said in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Reuters reported.

The comments come amid a shift in tone from Berlin and growing international criticism of Israel in recent days, as the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza following Israel's blockade of aid and the rising civilian death toll test German support.

Wadephul said it was important that Israel could defend itself given the threats it faces, including threats from the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Iran.

"For me, there is no doubt that we have a special responsibility to stand by Israel," reiterating the principle of "Staatsraeson" that underpins German support for Israel in atonement for the Holocaust in World War II. "On the other hand, of course, that does not mean that the government can do whatever it wants."

Three months after the start of the war, South Africa filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the accusations as scandalous.

The blockade of Gaza, which began after the ceasefire broke down in March, has been challenged at the World Court. Half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, a global hunger monitoring organization announced in mid-May. Netanyahu has rejected accusations that Israel deliberately caused starvation through the eleven-week blockade, which was eased last week after pressure from close allies.

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that airstrikes on Gaza were no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people. Since then, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks.