Nicaragua has accused Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law through its arms exports to Israel, urging the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to allow the case against Berlin to proceed. The complaint, filed on Tuesday, alleges that Germany’s continued supply of weapons to Israel contributes to potential genocide linked to Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Germany, which briefly suspended arms exports to Israel for several months in 2025, resumed shipments thereafter. It remains Israel’s second-largest weapons supplier after the United States, maintaining strong support partly due to historical responsibility connected to the Holocaust. Although a US-backed ceasefire established in October 2025 has curtailed widespread hostilities in Gaza, Israeli strikes have persisted.

Representing Nicaragua, Ambassador Carlos Jose Argüello Gomez argued that Germany should have recognized the “serious risk” of genocidal acts by Israel and employed all reasonable means to prevent such actions, as required under the Genocide Convention. Both Germany and Nicaragua are signatories to the treaty, which mandates states to act against potential genocide. The ICJ rarely hears disputes involving neither the complainant nor the respondent being directly involved in the conflict at the center of the case.

Israel has denied allegations of genocide, describing them as politically motivated. It asserts that its military operations target Hamas militants, whose October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the ongoing conflict. On Monday, Germany requested the ICJ to dismiss the case, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction based on procedural issues.

In response, Nicaragua rejected Germany’s claims, asserting that a dispute was clearly established when the case was filed, citing prior communications with Germany’s Foreign Ministry and public statements. Nicaragua’s legal action builds on a similar case brought by South Africa against Israel concerning alleged genocide.

The court’s decision on whether to accept jurisdiction and proceed with the case is pending, marking a rare legal challenge over the responsibilities of third-party states under the Genocide Convention in relation to arms exports.