Following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, defense ties between Belgrade and Jerusalem quickly deepened, with Serbian arms exports to Israel increasing 30-fold compared to the previous year, according to the Jerusalem Post.

According to a joint report by Balkan Insight and Haaretz (based on customs data), these exports reached €42.3 million in 2024. Serbia has become a vital link in the supply chain for Israeli defense equipment.

“I am the only one in Europe today who trades ammunition with Israel. And that is why my colleagues often criticize me,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.

The publication adds that the criticism has been harsh, with KRIK and Germany's Bild accusing Vučić of irregularities in arms trade. Vucic simply shrugged off the attacks. “I was not surprised by the level of attacks against the Jewish state and the Jewish people throughout Europe,” the Serbian president said.

In the interview, he described how, on the evening of October 8, 2023, a message arrived from Israel: “We need this and that, we are not ready at all, we need it as soon as possible.” As he further stated, after receiving this message, Serbia did something it had never done before: "I was Minister of Defense and I know how it works—permits from various ministries, security agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations... And we gathered everything in four days. This had never been achieved in this country before,“ said Vučić.

Vučić also emphasized that the situation in Serbia will always remain the same: ”We will always value, respect, and love the Jewish people and Israel. There is no anti-Semitism in Serbia."
In the interview, the Serbian president also spoke about his efforts to secure the release of one of the Hamas hostages, Serbian citizen Ilan Ohel. He personally asked several Arab leaders to help secure his release and has also met with the Ohel family several times.

“We will always do everything in our power. He is our citizen and an Israeli citizen. He is just a young man who has the right to live. We also have friends in the Arab world, good friends, and I am asking these people to help us take care of him and release him as soon as possible,” Vučić said.

The interview notes that trade and investment ties between Serbia and Israel have strengthened and reached unprecedented levels. According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, exports from Serbia to Israel increased by 196.2% in the first two months of 2025 alone. In 2024, total trade between the two countries reached a record $199.2 million, with Serbian exports increasing by 75.2% and imports by 40.9%. It is also recalled that Israel abstained during the vote on the Srebrenica resolution at the UN.

"I have never hidden who my friends are. It doesn't matter who I talk to. If someone asks me about Bibi (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) or Isaac (Herzog, President of Israel), it will always be the same positive things. And I don't care who asks me. That is the strength of the Serbian attitude—that we can say what we think," Vucic said. | BGNES