Germany approved nearly €800 million ($930 million) worth of military equipment exports to Israel in the first half of this year amid its ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, local media reported Wednesday.
The Economy and Energy Ministry disclosed the figure in its response to a parliamentary inquiry by the opposition Left Party, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel.
Export licenses issued between January and June exceeded four times the total value approved for Israel throughout 2025, the report said.
The surge came after Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government lifted partial restrictions on arms exports to Israel on Nov. 24, 2025.
Merz had suspended exports of weapons that could be used in Gaza on Aug. 8 after Israel decided to expand its military operations in the enclave. The restrictions remained in force for only about three and a half months.
Large-scale defense projects accounted for most of the sharp increase in approvals.
Of the €735.8 million in export permits approved during the second quarter, about 67% was linked to a naval project.
The report highlighted the INS Drakon, an air-independent propulsion submarine built by German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), which recently left a shipyard in Kiel for Israel.
A further 21% of the licenses covered joint projects involving German and Israeli companies that were deemed to serve the strategic interests of the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr.
The remaining approvals covered military equipment including small arms, ammunition, explosives and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Israel's genocide in Gaza has killed at least 73,470 Palestinians and injured 174,540 others since October 2023, according to the enclave's Health Ministry. Most of the victims have been women and children, while around 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.
Lea Reisner, the Left Party's spokesperson for international affairs, accused the German government of applying "unlimited double standards."
She criticized Berlin for condemning statements targeting Gaza's civilian population by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir while continuing to expand military support for the country.
The Left Party renewed its call for an immediate and comprehensive halt to German arms exports to Israel.
Germany approved €327 million in arms and military equipment exports to Israel in 2023, €161.1 million in 2024 and €260 million in 2025. Its arms sales to Israel had increased tenfold in 2023 from the previous year.
Berlin has long been one of Israel's strongest supporters, with German leaders frequently defending that support as a historical responsibility arising from Germany's Nazi past and the Holocaust.
