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Internal documents obtained by Drop Site and Stern show that the German government coordinated its testimony with Israel before testifying before the ICJ at The Hague in April 2024. They cast doubt on the completeness of that account. According to Press TV, Germany came before the UN’s top court after Nicaragua brought a case accusing Berlin of complicity in the Gaza genocide over its delivery of weapons and other military equipment to Israel. At the hearing on April 8, 2024, Nicaragua’s representative criticized the reported delivery of 10,000 rounds of 120-millimeter precision ammunition for tanks from Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces) stocks following a request from Israel. In The Hague on the following day, Germany’s representative, Tania Freiin von Uslar-Gleichen, confirmed that Israel had requested the munitions but said it was “still being reviewed” and no license had been issued. The representative back then said the Bundeswehr had not supplied weapons or ammunition to Israel since 2023, claiming “the only items supplied by the German Bundeswehr to Israel are medical supplies and helmets.” A document from the German Ministry of Defense dated January 29, 2025, states the government decided, “in agreement with the affected entity," to "disclose details beyond those in the arms export report” for the hearing. Another letter dated January 15, 2025, further states “the differentiated information on Bundeswehr exports,” which was requested in the lawsuit, was “not disclosed in the proceedings before the ICJ.” A Cologne Administrative Court decision from May 26, 2025, further confirms this, stating that Germany’s testimony that only “medical supplies and helmets” were supplied was made, according to "the respondent [the German Defense ministry], in agreement with Israel.” Germany, one of Israel’s staunchest allies and its second-largest arms exporter after the United States, issued export licenses for military equipment worth almost €500 million throughout Israel’s brutal aggression on Gaza, according to its own figures. However, direct Bundeswehr deliveries were kept confidential due to potential impacts on national interests and international relations. While the proceedings against Germany before the ICJ continue, Germany’s coordinated testimony in April 2024 stopped the Court from taking emergency measures. It rejected Nicaragua’s request to halt arms sales in a preliminary ruling. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) has now voiced serious concern over Germany’s actions. When the German government declares that “information on deliveries from the German Armed Forces was only provided to the ICJ in agreement with Israel,” ECCHR said in a statement. It appears “possible that the aforementioned goods were not the only goods sent after all, but only the only goods disclosed,” it added. Commenting on the developments, Matthias Goldmann, Professor of International Law, said, Germany not giving a full account to the ICJ would be a “political scandal” and “an affront to an international court.” If Germany had made incomplete or false statements before the ICJ, it would “clearly reveal Germany’s double standards and thus call into question its credibility and commitment to the rules-based world order.” Between October 7, 2023, and May 13, 2025, the German government granted export licenses for military goods to Israel worth €485.1 million. These exports include parts for armored vehicles, battle tanks and self-propelled howitzers, as well as rifle, cannon, and howitzer ammunition and more. More than 68,800 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry, with more bodies being recovered every day.
