BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday defended his decision to halt certain arms exports to Israel amid strong criticism from within his own Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.

Germany has a disagreement with Israeli on this issue, Merz told public broadcaster ARD, but a friendship must withstand critical voices.

Germany cannot supply weapons to a conflict that could claim "hundreds of thousands" of civilian casualties, he added.

"And solidarity with Israel does not mean that we approve of every decision a government makes and provide it with support, even to the point of providing military support in the form of weapons," he added.

Merz's decision to halt arms exports to Israel sparked fierce criticism from parts of the CDU and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), which accused the chancellor of failing to involve them.

He responded by saying: "I did not make this decision alone, but at the end of the day, it is a decision for which I alone must take responsibility. And I alone am responsible. But I can’t put it to a democratic vote either.”

Growing public pressure on the German government – fueled by reports of children starving in Gaza – prompted Merz on Friday to announce a partial suspension of arms exports to Israel.

The conservative leader said in a statement that the government will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip, in response to the Israeli government’s Friday decision to expand its military offensive and occupy Gaza City.

For months, Merz rejected calls from opposition lawmakers to halt arms exports to Israel and dismissed appeals from EU members to suspend a trade agreement with Tel Aviv, even as Israel's military campaign and blockade in Gaza resulted in over 61,000 casualties, with women and children making up nearly half of the victims.

Some 80% of Germans reject Israel's deadly military campaign in Gaza, while 75% favor their government putting more pressure on Israel, including sanctions, according to survey results published this week by Focus newsmagazine.

Furthermore, 40% of Germans believe Israel has overstepped its bounds in its fight against Hamas.

The poll also indicated that the younger the Germans, the greater the rejection of Israel's brutal military actions in Gaza.

Also noteworthy is that the survey found the highest rejection rate in all of Europe.

The country has seen widespread demonstrations, as people have taken to the streets to voice their outrage over Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.