Germany Asks UN Court to Dismiss Nicaragua's Gaza Genocide Case

Germany asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday to dismiss a case accusing it of facilitating genocide in Gaza through its military support for Israel.

Berlin told the UN's supreme judicial body that Nicaragua failed to establish a legal dispute before bringing proceedings in March 2024 and that parts of the case fell outside the court’s jurisdiction. Julia Monar, legal adviser at the German foreign ministry, told judges that "Nicaragua’s conduct indicates that it was not interested in hearing Germany’s view on its allegations, but simply in bringing Germany before this court."

Nicaragua accuses Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law by supplying weapons and military assistance to Israel, despite being aware of the risk of serious violations in Gaza. Nicaragua also claims Berlin failed to prevent genocide and contributed to the humanitarian crisis by suspending funding to UNRWA. Germany is Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States.

Monar argued that the conditions on which this court's jurisdiction is based are not met in this case, and that neither Nicaragua nor Germany is a party to the conflict that forms the real subject matter of this case, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Germany also stated Nicaragua had not properly notified it of the allegations. The ICJ rejected an emergency request from Nicaragua in April 2024 to order Germany to halt military aid.

Germany suspended weapons exports to Israel for a few months in 2025, but they have since resumed. Germany claims it restricted arms exports between August and November 2025, while Der Spiegel reported approvals of nearly €800 million ($930 million) in the first half of this year. Israel rejects genocide allegations, stating its campaign targets Hamas. Nicaragua's claim builds on South Africa's case against Israel, where the ICJ found it plausible Israel violated some Genocide Convention rights in 2024.