According to the German magazine Der Spiegel on Wednesday, the letter was initiated by Saeed Etris Hashemi, a survivor of the 2020 racist attack in Hanau, and signed by approximately 50 prominent figures, including climate activist Luisa Neubauer, sociologist Harald Weltzer, and musician Michel Barenboim.
The signatories called for a review of the German government's policy on arms exports to Israel, arguing that continued arms supplies to the country contradict Berlin's legal and moral responsibilities to prevent war crimes under international law.
The letter expressed grave concern over the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and called on the government to take a clear stance against Israel's disproportionate use of force, a matter widely debated among international law experts.
The letter also stressed the need to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid through independent channels, calling for organizations such as the United Nations to be able to operate unhindered to provide relief to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The public broadcaster WDR noted that the letter received support from a wide spectrum of actors in German society, reflecting mounting domestic pressure on the government to reevaluate its position on the war in Gaza.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 179,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, more than 11,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
