Nicaragua asks ICJ to keep Germany arms case alive
Nicaragua says Germany’s exports to Israel breached international obligations, while Berlin argues the court lacks jurisdiction and the case was improperly filed.
Nicaragua has urged the International Court of Justice to reject Germany’s preliminary objections and allow its case over arms exports to Israel to proceed.
The case alleges that Germany breached obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention and humanitarian law by supplying arms that Nicaragua says facilitated alleged genocidal acts in Gaza. The allegations have not been determined by the court.
Germany told judges that Nicaragua had improperly brought the case and that the ICJ lacked jurisdiction. Germany’s lawyers also argued that Nicaragua had not properly attempted to resolve the dispute before filing. Nicaragua pointed to correspondence with Germany’s foreign ministry and public statements as evidence that it had raised the matter.
Nicaragua’s court documents cited German export licences worth $378 million in the final three months of 2023, compared with $45 million in the first three months. Germany has previously said 98 per cent of its arms exports to Israel since October 2023 consisted of general equipment, including vests, helmets and binoculars.
Germany suspended military exports to Israel in August 2025 before resuming them months later, citing the stability of the Israel–Hamas ceasefire. The ICJ held public hearings in The Hague and is expected to rule on Germany’s jurisdictional objections later in 2026. If the case proceeds, a final judgment could take until 2030.
