What prompted Germany, previously among the EU countries blocking sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to condemn his call for Israel to carry out nightly targeted killings of 30–40 people in Gaza as “inhumane” and contrary to international law; h

Jürgen Hardt, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s foreign-policy spokesman, went further by explicitly calling for EU sanctions on Ben-Gvir. This is politically significant within Merz’s conservative bloc, though it was not itself a formal EU-sanctions decision by the German cabinet.

The immediate controversy adds to international alarm over Ben-Gvir’s earlier advocacy of Israeli settlements in Gaza and of large-scale Palestinian “emigration,” positions widely understood as supporting displacement. His latest language went further by appearing to endorse killings beyond immediate military necessity.

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway jointly imposed national sanctions and/or restrictive measures on both Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in June 2025, citing repeated incitement of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The measures included, in the participating countries’ respective systems, entry restrictions and financial sanctions such as asset freezes.

An EU listing remains uncertain. EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas said in June that there was no consensus, despite support from many member states. Restrictive measures under the relevant EU foreign-policy procedure require unanimity—agreement by all 27 governments—so a single holdout can block them.

The informal EU foreign-ministers’ Gymnich meeting in Ireland on September 1–2 is expected to provide a forum to revisit the issue, rather than automatically adopt sanctions. Whether Germany translates its sharper rhetoric into a formal pro-listing position, and whether all remaining sceptical states agree, will determine the result. Recent diplomatic reporting suggested agreement was still unlikely before those talks.