Germany has intensified its legal battle at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), formally asking the court to dismiss a case brought by Nicaragua accusing Berlin of facilitating genocide in Gaza by supplying weapons and military support to Israel.
According to Middle East Eye, Germany, described as Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States, argued before the court that Nicaragua’s allegations have no legal or factual basis.
During the first day of a four-day hearing at the UN’s top court in The Hague, Germany argued that Nicaragua had failed to complete the necessary preliminary process for establishing a legal dispute before filing the case in March 2024. Berlin also maintained that parts of Nicaragua’s claims fall outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Julia Monar, legal adviser to Germany’s Foreign Ministry, told the judges that Nicaragua’s conduct showed it was not interested in hearing Germany’s position but instead wanted to bring Berlin before the court.
Nicaragua’s Allegations
Nicaragua has accused Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law by supplying weapons and military assistance to Israel despite the alleged risk that such support could contribute to large-scale destruction in Gaza.
The case also alleges that Berlin worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by suspending funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Germany argued during the hearing that Israel is an indispensable third party to the proceedings. However, Israel is not a party to the case and has not consented to the court determining its legal responsibility.
Berlin invoked the ICJ’s Monetary Gold principle, under which the court cannot determine the legal responsibility of an absent state when that responsibility is the central subject of a dispute.
According to Germany, it would be impossible to establish allegations that Berlin provided unlawful assistance without first assessing Israel’s conduct and legal responsibility—issues that cannot properly be determined in Israel’s absence.
Germany’s Military Export Figures
Germany has significantly increased approvals for military exports this year.
Between January and March, Berlin approved military exports worth €63.6 million, followed by another €735.8 million in approvals between April and June.
That brought the provisional total for the first half of 2026 to around €799.4 million, nearly four times the €200 million in military exports approved for the whole of 2025.
Hearing Schedule
Nicaragua is scheduled to present its arguments on Tuesday, September 8. Both countries will then present a second round of arguments on Wednesday and Thursday.
The ICJ is expected to issue its ruling at a later date. However, the case could take years to reach a final judgment as it proceeds through the court’s full legal process.
