Slovenia announced on Thursday it will ban all arms-related trade with Israel due to the ongoing war in Gaza, becoming the first European Union member state to take such action.
In a government statement, Ljubljana confirmed it would halt the import, export, and transit of military equipment to and from Israel. The move was described as an independent response to the EU’s inaction on implementing concrete measures demanded by several member states.
Slovenian officials stated that the country is taking this step amid the devastating conflict in Gaza, where thousands have been killed and humanitarian aid remains systematically blocked.
The government emphasized that every responsible nation must act, even if it means taking the lead ahead of others.
Since October 2023, Slovenia has not issued any licenses for exporting weapons or military equipment to Israel, the statement added.
Earlier in July, Slovenia also barred two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, labelling them "personae non gratae" due to statements allegedly inciting genocide and encouraging extreme violence and human rights violations against Palestinians. That move was also the first of its kind within the EU.
Meanwhile, Palestinian medical sources reported on Thursday that 101 people were killed in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, including 81 near humanitarian aid distribution points.
The total Palestinian death toll since the beginning of the Israeli military campaign on 7 October 2023 has now reached 60,249, the majority of them women and children, according to figures cited by Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The number of injured has also risen to 147,089, with many victims still trapped under rubble or unreachable due to ongoing hostilities and blocked emergency access.
In the past 24 hours alone, Gaza hospitals received 111 dead and 820 injured. Since the collapse of a ceasefire agreement on 18 March, 9,081 Palestinians have been killed and 35,048 wounded, according to the same sources.
Additionally, the number of casualties caused by attacks targeting food aid seekers continues to climb. Hospitals have now received a total of 1,330 dead and 8,818 injured in such incidents.
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