Germany refutes Nicaragua’s accusation that Germany’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza violates the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.

Nicaragua argued before the United Nations’ top court that Germany’s support fueled Israel’s genocide. On Tuesday, Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, head of the German legal team, said Nicaragua’s claims had “no factual or legal basis.”

Preliminary hearings on Monday and Tuesday focused on Nicaragua’s request for “interim measures” such as a call for Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel and resume funding for the U.N. aid agency in Gaza.

Germany’s representative urged the judge to reject Nicaragua’s call for provisional measures and to dismiss the case outright. They claimed that since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 98% of the military products exported by Germany to Israel were not weapons of war, but additional equipment. They also used photos of Germany airdropping aid into Gaza to prove that the country was providing humanitarian support to the Palestinians.

This is not the first time Nicaragua has used legal means to influence Israel’s actions in Gaza. South Africa last year accused Israel of committing genocide. Additionally, criticism of the war is growing and calls are on Israel’s allies to stop providing it with weapons.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock told reporters, “From the first day after October 7, Germany faced an incredible dilemma. Hamas deliberately entangled itself behind civilians and deliberately took advantage of the Palestinians. and the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to expand attacks on Israel.”

Berbock also mentioned Germany’s commitment to international law and Israel’s right to self-defense. The total death toll in Gaza is more than 33,000, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. The figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but women and children are said to make up the majority of those killed.

During a hearing in a Dutch court on Monday, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Carlos José Arguillo Gomez, accused Germany of “failing to meet its obligations to prevent genocide or ensure respect for international humanitarian law.”

Samuel Wordsworth, one of Germany’s lawyers, argued that Germany could not have breached its obligation to prevent genocide because a judge had not yet ruled that Israel had breached genocide convention. In a case brought by South Africa last year, the U.N. court said Israel’s actions violated the Convention and were “reasonable.”

The United States is the only country that supplies more weapons to Israel than Germany, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. However, the United States does not recognize the power of the International Court of Justice to force countries to resort to the court, and has not signed the Protocol to the Genocide Convention, which stipulates that countries can submit disputes to the court.

Portions of this report were provided by The Associated Press.