Last year, Germany became Israel's second-largest arms supplier after the United States, Spiegel International reported. According to the Stockholm-based peace research institute SIPRI, around 53 percent of the weapons imported by Israel came from the U.S., around 47 percent from Germany, and 0.6 percent from Italy.

Five days after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz read out his government's statement in the federal parliament, the Bundestag, saying, "There is only one place for Germany at this time, and that is by Israel's side."

Since the number of civilians killed, including many women and children, has extended into the tens of thousands, the German government has become increasingly isolated with its position.