"Israel again reached an all-time peak in defence exports in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive record-breaking year in the scope of defence agreements," the ministry, which oversees and approves the exports of Israel's defence industries, said in a statement.
A majority -- 56.8 percent -- of the deals signed were "mega-deals" valued at at least $100 million each, the ministry said, adding that "operational achievements" in the Gaza war had driven the demand.
Since the outbreak of the war, sparked by militant group Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, the ministry said it had been operating on "emergency mode, mobilising for the war effort with round-the-clock IDF production while maintaining foreign client manufacturing."
"The war's operational achievements and the proven battlefield performance of Israeli systems have driven strong international demand for Israeli defense technology, concluding 2024 on a remarkably high note with record-breaking export deals," it said.
The ministry said that demand for its missiles, rockets, and air defence systems had "reached a new significant milestone" and accounted for some 48 percent of the total number of exports, up from 36 percent in 2023.
Additionally, "satellite and space systems exports saw substantial growth, representing 8 percent of deals in 2024 compared to 2 percent in 2023," the ministry said.
A breakdown of the regions to which the arms were exported showed that European countries made up more than half.
Sales to countries considered part of the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco who signed groundbreaking normalisation agreements with Israel in 2020 -- appeared to have sharply risen from 3 percent in 2023 to 12 percent.
"Precisely during a difficult and complex year of war, Israel has broken an all-time record in defence exports," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in the statement.
"The world sees Israeli strength and seeks to be a partner in it," he added.
Spain cancels purchase of Israeli anti-tank missiles: reports
Madrid (AFP) June 4, 2025 -
Spain, which has strongly criticised Israel's offensive in Gaza, has cancelled a contract to buy 168 firing posts and 1,680 anti-tank missiles from Israeli defence company Rafael, Spanish media reported Wednesday.
The deal was worth 287.5 million euros ($327 million), according to top-selling daily Spanish newspaper El Pa�s, which cited unnamed government sources.
The equipment was to be manufactured in Spain under licence from Rafael.
Spanish defence ministry sources told AFP that the government "has begun a process to revoke licences of Israeli origin" and was working to redirect its procurement programmes "with the goal of achieving greater technological independence and autonomy".
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's criticisms of the offensive in Gaza infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government last year by recognising a Palestinian state.
In late April, Spain cancelled a contract to buy bullets from another Israeli company, IMI Systems, following pressure from the Socialist-led government's far-left coalition partner Sumar -- a move swiftly condemned by Israel.
Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz, the founder of Sumar, said at the time that Spain could not engage in "business with a genocidal government... that is massacring the Palestinian people".
Sanchez's government said it halted weapons transactions with Israel after the start of the war following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
But according to Centre Delas, a Barcelona-based think tank specialising in security and defence, the government has granted 46 contracts worth more than 1 billion euros to Israeli companies based on data published on a public tenders platform.
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