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Government institutions across European Union (EU) member states have continued awarding lucrative contracts to Israeli companies despite ongoing allegations of war crimes linked to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, according to data compiled by Statewatch and published by Al Jazeera.
The data show that public institutions in EU countries signed 194 contracts worth about €2.7 billion between January 2022 and July 2025. Researchers said the actual value is likely to be much higher, as publicly available EU procurement records cover only a portion of government contracts.
Spain, one of Europe’s strongest critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, signed 14 contracts worth nearly €227 million during the period.
The largest agreement, valued at €207 million, was signed in April 2024 between Spain’s Ministry of Defence and Israeli defence company Rafael for an air warfare system. Spain’s national police also purchased bulletproof vests from Israeli firm Marom Dolphin.
According to the report, the pace of contracting accelerated after Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023.
Between January 2022 and October 2023, EU public bodies signed 82 contracts worth more than €1.2 billion. In the following 21 months, from October 2023 to July 2025, they signed 112 contracts valued at around €1.6 billion, accounting for more than half of the total value recorded.
The report said the EU’s continued commercial engagement with Israeli companies stands in contrast to proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel faces allegations of violating the Genocide Convention over its military operations in Gaza.
In 2024, the ICJ said there was a “real and imminent risk” of irreparable harm to Palestinians and ruled that states should not aid or facilitate Israel’s continued unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Yousef Al Tamimi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Legal Studies at the Central European University, told Al Jazeera that the EU’s approach toward Israel is “legally unacceptable.”
According to Al Tamimi, the ICJ’s opinion places clear obligations on states to avoid supporting Israel’s alleged unlawful occupation, arguing that those obligations have implications for the contracts identified in the report.