Nicaragua Tells World Court Germany Broke Genocide Convention

Nicaragua accused Germany at the ICJ of facilitating genocide in Gaza by arming Israel, as Berlin pushed to have the case thrown out on jurisdiction.

Nicaragua told the United Nations' top court on Tuesday that Germany has breached the Genocide Convention by selling Israel weapons that were used in its war in Gaza. Nicaragua argued that Germany is violating international law by "facilitating" acts of genocide in Gaza through arms and other military support, in proceedings at the International Court of Justice at the Peace Palace. Berlin denies the allegation. While the case centers on Germany, it indirectly takes aim at Israel's campaign in Gaza in response to the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Israel, which is not a party in the proceedings, strongly denies that its actions amount to acts of genocide.

Nicaragua's top lawyer, Carlos José Argüello Gómez, told the court it is "impossible" that with the type of political, commercial and military relations Germany has with Israel, it could not be aware — or normally should not have been aware — of the serious risk that acts that could amount to genocide were being committed by Israel. The case follows South Africa's 2023 genocide accusation against Israel at the same court, and Nicaragua's own government has historical links with Palestinian organizations dating back to its support for the 1979 Sandinista revolution.

On Monday, Germany told the court that the case was improperly filed and should be thrown out. "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," Julia Monar, Germany's top lawyer, told the judges. Countries are typically expected to attempt to resolve disputes before bringing them to the court. Lawyers for Nicaragua denied this, pointing to documents sent to the German foreign ministry as well as press releases describing the dispute. The preliminary hearings now focus squarely on whether the court has jurisdiction to hear the case at all.

The ruling on jurisdiction is expected later this year, and if Nicaragua's case moves forward, the proceedings could take years — meaning the immediate decision will not resolve the underlying genocide allegations. If the court accepts jurisdiction, Nicaragua's claims about Germany's arms sales would proceed to full merits arguments, keeping Berlin's weapons policy under international legal scrutiny for the long term. The proceedings represent the latest legal attempt to rein in Israel's military campaign by a country with historic ties to the Palestinian people, extending a strategy that began with South Africa's case in 2023.