Internal documents obtained by Dropsite and Stern show that the German government was coordinating testimony with Israel before testifying before the ICJ in The Hague in April 2024. They question the integrity of that testimony.
According to Press TV, Germany has gone to the United Nations’ highest court after Nicaragua filed a lawsuit accusing Berlin of complicity in the Gaza massacre over the delivery of weapons and other military equipment to Israel.
At a hearing on April 8, 2024, the representative of Nicaragua criticized the reported delivery of 10,000 rounds of 120mm precision ammunition for tanks from the inventory of the Bundeswehr (German Army) in response to a request from Israel.
The next day, German representative Tania Frein von Ussler-Gleichen in The Hague confirmed Israel’s request for munitions, but said it was “still under consideration” and no permits had been issued.
A representative at the time said that the Bundeswehr would not be supplying Israel with weapons or ammunition after 2023, and claimed that “the only items that the Bundeswehr supplies to Israel are medical supplies and helmets.”
A German Defense Ministry document dated January 29, 2025, states that the government has decided “in agreement with the affected actors” to “disclose details other than the arms export report” for public hearings.
Another letter, dated January 15, 2025, further states that “differentiated information regarding the exports of the Bundeswehr” sought in the lawsuit “was not disclosed in the proceedings before the ICJ.”
The decision of the Cologne Administrative Court of May 26, 2025 further supports this, stating that German testimony was given that “the defendant (German Ministry of Defense) was supplied with only “medical supplies and helmets” on the basis of an agreement with Israel.”
Germany, one of Israel’s strongest allies and the second largest arms exporter after the United States, has issued export permits for almost half a billion euros worth of military equipment throughout Israel’s brutal invasion of Gaza, according to its own statistics.
However, direct deliveries from the Bundeswehr were classified as classified because they could affect national interests and international relations.
The case against Germany at the ICJ continues, but Germany’s concerted testimony in April 2024 prevents the court from taking emergency measures.
The preliminary ruling rejected Nicaragua’s request to halt arms sales.
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) has now expressed serious concern about Germany’s actions. The ECCHR said in a statement that in response to the German government’s declaration that “information regarding deliveries from the German military was only provided to the ICJ in accordance with the agreement with Israel.”
“After all, it is possible that the aforementioned items were not the only items sent, but rather the only items disclosed,” it added.
Commenting on the development, international law professor Matthias Goldmann said Germany’s failure to give a full explanation to the ICJ would be a “political scandal” and an “insult to the international tribunal.”
If Germany had made incomplete or false statements to the ICJ, it would “reveal Germany’s double standards and call into question its credibility and commitment to the rules-based world order.”
From October 7, 2023 to May 13, 2025, the German government granted Israel permission to export munitions worth 485.1 million euros.
These exports include parts for armored vehicles, tanks, and self-propelled howitzers, as well as rifles, artillery, and howitzer ammunition.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 68,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, and more bodies are being recovered every day.
MNA