BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he is opposed to reexamining the European Union’s association agreement with Israel over possible breaches of human rights obligations in Gaza.

“An overriding or even a termination of this agreement is out of the question with the federal [German] government,” said Merz in a speech in the Bundestag on Tuesday.

The European Commission launched an investigation into whether Israel may have breached its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement after a majority of EU countries called for a review in light of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. A draft of the findings seen by POLITICO last week suggested Israel’s actions may have violated the terms of the association agreement, a wide-ranging pact in force since 2000 that covers economic cooperation in key industries, political dialogue and trade.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, in a meeting with counterparts earlier this week, also pushed back against calls to suspend the agreement, arguing the bloc “needs good relations with Israel.” That sets Germany on a collision course with other EU countries such as Spain and Ireland, which have called for an immediate suspension of the pact.

No immediate action is expected after EU foreign ministers discussed Israel on Monday, but the matter is likely to come up when they next meet in July. With no unanimity on suspending the pact entirely, it might be possible to suspend the part of it that covers trade, say legal experts, as this would only require backing from a “qualified” majority of EU countries.

Although Merz has recently criticised Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip in unusually strong terms for a German leader, Berlin remains one of the country’s staunchest supporters. That position was evident after Israel launched strikes on Iran. “There is no reason for us and also for me personally to criticize what Israel started a week ago,” Merz said at an industry summit in Berlin on Monday.

Merz on Tuesday also called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for the “humane treatment” of the people there, “especially the women, the children and the elderly.”