The German government says it’s lifting restrictions on exports of military equipment to Israel

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BERLIN (AP) — The German government said Monday that it’s lifting its restrictions on exports of military equipment to Israel, weeks after the ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in early August that Berlin wouldn’t authorize any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza “until further notice." That was a response to a decision by the Israeli Cabinet to take over Gaza City.

A spokesperson for Merz, Sebastian Hille, said that the restrictions will be lifted from Nov. 24.

“Since Oct. 10, we have had a ceasefire in Gaza and it has fundamentally stabilized,” Hille told reporters at a regular government news conference. “That is the basis for this decision.”

“We expect everyone to keep to the agreements that were reached — that includes the ceasefire holding, that includes humanitarian aid being provided on a large scale and the process continuing to run in an orderly way, as agreed,” he added.

Hille declined to comment on whether there had been Israeli requests for equipment in the period since the restrictions were imposed, or whether anything had been held back.

Once the restrictions are lifted, Germany will examine military exports on a case-by-base basis, as is its standard practice with such exports, he said.

Merz's decision in August was a remarkable move by a country that is a particularly staunch ally of Israel. The Israeli foreign minister welcomed its lifting Monday in a post on social network X.

“I call on other governments to adopt similar decisions, following Germany,” Gideon Saar wrote.