The German government has increased permits for arms deliveries to Israel, surpassing any previous estimate, according to data released by the country’s foreign ministry today.

As of August, approvals for military arms exports to Israel have total value 94.05 million euros, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This amount is more than double the 45.7 million euros, which was the value of approved exports as reported by the Finance Ministry to the Economic Affairs Committee of the Bundestag (lower house) during the year to 13 October.

The new data, which came to the knowledge of the German Agency, is contained in response to a question submitted by a member of parliament from the Alliance party Zara Wagenknecht (BSW), which opposes arms deliveries.

Arms sales to Israel have sparked strong reactions in Germany for months.

Last year, the chancellor’s coalition government Olaf Solz approved sales of military equipment worth 326.5 million euros, including military weapons worth 20.1 million euros.

Most of the permits were issued after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. However, in the first months of this year, the permits were greatly reduced.

Previous responses to parliamentary questions indicated approvals for military equipment sales of just 14.4 million euros as of August 21. Exports of military weapons had been suspended since early March.

Friedrich Merz, the head of Germany’s main opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU, right), criticizes Chancellor Scholz’s government for blocking exports of ammunition and tank parts produced by German industries to Israel.

The Scholz government has repeatedly emphasized that it never decided to ban the export of arms or other military goods to Israel, and the chancellor personally assured in a special pre-order debate in the Bundestag on the anniversary of the attack that “we have delivered weapons and we will continue to deliver weapons” to the Israelis. armed force.