Germany should completely stop providing weapons to Israel, not just over Gaza Strip concerns, said residents at an anti-war event in Berlin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Friday that Germany will suspend all exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip. The decision came after the Israeli cabinet approved military operations aimed at occupying the Gaza Strip. Merz urged the Israeli government to "refrain from taking further steps to annex the West Bank". "The supply of weapons to Israel should be completely stopped, not just those that could be used in Gaza, but a complete halt to all weapons shipments to Israel," said a resident in Berlin. "Chancellor Merz has finally responded, announcing a suspension of weapons exports to Israel for use in Gaza. However, the situation has gotten out of control, and Germany's actions are simply insufficient. This decision seems strategic, seemingly designed to appease the media, and the decision is not convincing but quite contradictory," said another Berlin resident. Many German politicians believe that supporting Israel is an important part of Germany's atonement for the Nazi Holocaust. However, some German residents said that Germany cannot support Israel indefinitely, but should change its position in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the two-state solution is the correct way to ultimately resolve the Palestinian-Israeli issue. "We believe that the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip is inhumane. We think that the victims of the past are now becoming perpetrators. We are angry that the German government has not taken the right stance," said a Berlin resident. "Yes, I hope that the two-state solution can be realized. However, since Israel has occupied a lot of Palestinian land and continues to expand and build settlements, it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve this goal. But I always support the two-state solution and I hope it will eventually be realized," said another Berlin resident. An opinion poll released by the German Forsa polling institute on Sunday showed that more than half of Germans support the recognition of the Palestinian state. In late July, Forsa asked 1,001 Germans whether Germany should now recognize the independent existence of a Palestinian state, and 54 percent of respondents answered yes, while 31 percent said no. SHOTLIST: Berlin, Germany - Aug 9-10, 2025 1. Various of residents at anti-war event site, sign reading "Stop the genocide, sign the petition!"; 2. SOUNDBITE (German) Resident (name not given): "The supply of weapons to Israel should be completely stopped, not just those that could be used in Gaza, but a complete halt to all weapons shipments to Israel."; 3. SOUNDBITE (German) Resident (name not given): "Chancellor Merz has finally responded, announcing a suspension of weapons exports to Israel for use in Gaza. However, the situation has gotten out of control, and Germany's actions are simply insufficient. This decision seems strategic, seemingly designed to appease the media, and the decision is not convincing but quite contradictory."; 4. Various of residents at anti-war event site; 5. SOUNDBITE (German) Resident (name not given) (ending with shot 6): "We believe that the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip is inhumane. We think that the victims of the past are now becoming perpetrators. We are angry that the German government has not taken the right stance."; 6. Residents at event site; 7. SOUNDBITE (German) Resident (name not given): "Yes, I hope that the two-state solution can be realized. However, since Israel has occupied a lot of Palestinian land and continues to expand and build settlements, it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve this goal. But I always support the two-state solution and I hope it will eventually be realized."; FILE: Berlin, Germany - Date Unknown 8. Various of Reichstag building, national flags of Germany. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]