Germany has significantly increased its arms exports to Israel. The total value of licenses approved in the first five months of 2026 reached approximately €800 million ($913 million). This figure surpassed the total for the previous 20-month period. The Berlin government confirmed that almost all of the approvals were granted in April and May.
According to the German Foreign Ministry's response to a parliamentary question, more than 60 percent of the license value was allocated to an unnamed 'major maritime project.' Analysts indicate that this project is a submarine built by the German company TKMS.
Submarine project and nuclear capability claims
The nuclear-capable Dolphin II-class INS Drakon submarine made its maiden voyage last year at the shipyard in Kiel. According to German media reports, the submarine in question was officially handed over to the Israeli Navy last week.
Various reports suggest that the submarine may have a vertical launch system (VLS), enabling it to launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles or ballistic missiles. This capability could make Israel the second navy after South Korea to possess VLS on a modern, air-independent propulsion (AIP) conventional submarine. Strategically, submarines of this class can provide a sea-based second-strike capability, i.e., the ability to retaliate after a nuclear attack.
Evolving policy during the Gaza war
Berlin's arms export policy to Israel followed a fluctuating course. In early August, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany would no longer issue licenses for military equipment that Israel could use in the Gaza Strip. However, this partial suspension was short-lived: in November, the government lifted the restrictions and returned to reviewing applications on a case-by-case basis. Even during the suspension, previously approved shipments continued; for example, in September, a weapons shipment worth $794,000 reached Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv from Germany.
Max Mutschler, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies, said that some within the government 'found the export of certain weapons to Israel problematic in light of numerous and credible reports of Israeli war crimes during the military operation in Gaza,' but that this was 'not sufficient to lead to a generally restrictive arms export policy toward Israel.'
Economic interests and criticism
Germany is one of the world's largest arms exporters. According to the Arms Export Report published by the Economy Ministry in mid-July, licenses were granted for arms exports worth €13.87 billion ($15.8 billion) in the first half of 2026. This is more than four times the figure for the same period in 2025. Ukraine remains the main recipient of German arms exports.
Mutschler said, 'Arms exports were primarily viewed economically by most federal governments and were welcomed as a means of strengthening the defense industry,' adding that 'the fact that these arms shipments could also be used to commit war crimes appears to play a significantly smaller role in decision-making.'
Ruth Rohde of the British research organization Shadow World Investigations said, 'Israel used German ships to fire on Gaza, blockade Gaza, and starve it, and it uses submarines to deploy nuclear weapons.' Rohde stated, 'While Israel wages brutal wars against its neighbors and commits genocide in Gaza, this submarine export will provide Israel with yet another tool in its arsenal of mass destruction.'
