Germany Asks UN Top Court to Throw Out Israel Arms Export Case

Germany asked the International Court of Justice on Monday to throw out Nicaragua’s case over Berlin’s arms supplies to Israel. Nicaragua accuses Germany of violating its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Germany suspended weapons exports to Israel for several months in 2025, but the exports later resumed. The legal challenge focuses on whether supplying arms breached the convention’s obligation for states to act to prevent possible genocides.

A US-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 halted large-scale fighting that had devastated Gaza. Israeli strikes have continued, however. Both Nicaragua and Germany are signatories to the Genocide Convention.

The case also raises an unusual procedural issue because neither Nicaragua nor Germany is directly involved in the conflict at its center. Israel rejects accusations of genocide as politically motivated and says its military campaign targets Hamas, whose attack on Israel triggered the war in October 2023.