German support for Israel reportedly waning six months into Gaza war

Germany has been one of Israel’s strongest supporters in the European Union both before and after the Hamas Oct. 7 invasion and massacre. Germany is also the second most important arms exporter to Israel after the United States.

However, the German government’s support of Israel is gradually shifting after almost six months of war in Gaza, according to a New York Times report on Friday.

In January, Germany announced it would defend the Jewish state against the false “genocide” charges brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.

"The Federal Government firmly and expressly rejects the accusation of genocide that has now been made against Israel at the International Court of Justice. This accusation has no basis whatsoever,” read the announcement at the time.

In January, Germany, the United States and several other countries suspended aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA after Israel presented credible evidence that several of its workers participated in the Oct. 7 massacres. Israeli intelligence estimates that at least 12% of the UNRWA staff are affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

While Germany still supports Israel’s right to defend itself against the Hamas aggression, Berlin has joined other Western governments in expressing concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza amid the ongoing war. The German government, therefore, recently decided to restore its previously suspended aid to the controversial UNRWA agency, along with other nations.

Germany had previously demanded the dismissal of the UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini as a condition for restoring its aid to UNRWA. The New York Times report noted that Berlin eventually restored its financial aid despite Lazzarini still heading the agency.

During a mid-March meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz conveyed Berlin's evolving position on the Gaza War.

Scholz, who has been a vocal defender of Israel, argued that the war brought "terribly high costs" for the civilian population in Gaza, however, he did not blame the Hamas terror group for the suffering of both Gazan and Israeli civilians.

"The more desperate the situation of the people in Gaza becomes, the more this begs the question: No matter how important the goal can it justify such terribly high costs, or are there other ways to achieve your goal?" Scholtz asked Netanyahu during the meeting. However, the German leader did not suggest a solution.

Like the United States and other Western nations, Germany has noted its concerns about Israel's plans for a ground incursion into the southern town of Rafa, to dismantle the last main Hamas stronghold.

The operation has so far been postponed due to the challenge of ensuring that Gaza's more than one million civilians who are concentrated in the area can be transferred to a secure, safe location.

"How should more than 1.5 million people be protected? Where should they go?" the German leader asked.

"We cannot stand by and watch Palestinians risk starvation," Scholtz stated. "That's not us. That is not what we stand for."

While the German government still supports Israel’s right to defend itself, Berlin is increasingly questioning whether Israel’s military goals in Gaza are attainable without a high humanitarian cost in such a densely populated territory where residents are caught in the crossfire between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel.