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The German government has defunded two Israeli human rights groups known for being critical of Israel's war on Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank.

The to cut off funding to the Israel-based human rights groups Zochrot and New Profile was part of a broader attempt to stop the federal funding of human rights organisations which criticise Israeli policies and the continued war on Gaza,Ìýthe German media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.

Germany's funding cut has resulted in the end of ongoing projects the groups had previously cleared in late 2023.

Zochrot, which means "Remembering" in Hebrew, advocates for accountability for the Nakba, Arabic for the word "catastrophe" and a term used to refer to Zionist militias killing and expelling hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their villages in 1948.

The group advocates for the right of return of Palestinian refugees and works to inform people of this legal right, something that the Israeli government strongly opposes. It has lost about a quarter of its budget due to the German funding cut.

Speaking to DW, the organisation’s director Rachel Beitarie said that she met with German officials in an attempt to stop the defunding.

"The German past, theÌýNazi regimeÌýwas brought up again and again in these conversations," she said.Ìý

She added that the officials told her it was important for Germany to support Israel because of Germany's history.

New Profile, the other Israeli group defunded by the German government, is a volunteer organisation that offers support to conscientious objectors in the Israeli military.

With Israel engaged in what the UN’s top court called "plausible genocide", and with military service mandatory in Israel, such activities are vital for Israelis who don’t want to engage in potential war crimes.

Sergei Sandler, the organisation's treasurer, said the defunding was timed "to deliver the most possible damage to our work," as reported by DW.

Sandler said the funding cut has left the group "scrambling to find alternative funding at a time when Israeli soldiers were being sent to fight in Gaza and, until recently, Lebanon."

German officials have failed to provide an explanation for the sudden cancellation of funding for projects in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories that had been approved or renewed just a year earlier.

In addition to Germany’s belief that it has a special responsibility to support Israel due to the Holocaust, sources believeÌýpressure from the Israeli governmentÌýmay have led to the German government’s decision to defund them and other groups.

Since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza on 7 October, Germany has ceased funding for at least six Palestinian organisations, while Berlin has continued to arm Israel with weapons used involved in attacks that likely breach international humanitarian law.