German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany's stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza remains unchanged despite his government's order to suspend arms to Israel which could be used in Gaza.

"We will continue to help this country to defend itself," Merz told German public broadcaster ARD on Sunday, adding that despite this stance, the German government could not supply weapons to a conflict where hundreds to thousands of civilians could be killed.

The move to partially halt German arms exports to Israel comes after Israel's Security Cabinet announced Israel would take over Gaza City.

That plan has been condemned by UN chief Antonio Guterres and numerous countries such as the UK, France and Canada, who believe it will exacerbate Gaza's ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

Merz takes responsibility amid conservative criticism

"Solidarity with Israel does not mean we consider every single decision by the Israeli government to be good, or that we support it, even to the extent of providing military support in the form of weapons," Merz said, also emphasizing his responsibility for the new policy.

"I did not make this decision alone, but at the end of the day, I'm fully responsible for it," the chancellor said.

Merz's decision to halt the export of offensive arms which could be used in Israel's war in Gaza has been met with criticism within the chancellor's own conservative party (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party (CSU).

CDU Bundestag lawmaker Carsten Müller condemned the decision "in the strongest of terms," while adding that it ignores the importance of the security cooperation with Israel for the German army and NATO.

Members of Bavaria's CSU party, too, condemned the arms export halt.

The CSU parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, Alexander Hoffmann, on Saturday told German paper Bild that his party was not involved in Merz's decision and "we consider it questionable." 

CDU lawmaker and foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen, however, supported Merz's decision. Röttgen told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Saturday that he supported the export halt: "This reaction is correct and has unfortunately become inevitable due to the latest decisions by the Israeli government."

The conservative bloc's coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), largely support the decision.

Merz 'buckled' under pressure, Netanyahu says

In a press conference to foreign media on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Merz "buckled under" the pressure of news reports which the Israeli leader labeled as false. Netanyahu said he hopes German chancellor would change his decision.

Germany is one of Israel's staunchest supporters, with former Chancellor Angela Merkel saying Israel's security is Germany's Staatsräson (reason of state). Germany feels a special responsibility for Israel due to the Holocaust, where 6 million Jews were killed from 1933 to 1945 by the German Nazi regime.

Germany has stood by Israel and supported Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza after Hamas carried out its October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel.

Merz's decision to now halt certain exports to Israel is a significant course change by Germany, as Israel finds itself increasingly estranged from its partners in Europe. 

In recent weeks, France and the UK said they would formally recognize Palestinian statehood, drawing criticism from Netanyahu.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery