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Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the initial part of the internationally-supported Gaza truce agreement is close to conclusion, stating that the second phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would talk about the future steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to finish the first stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we attain the identical objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

European Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Phase two must come now and then stage three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not currently planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Ceasefire

During the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, set out a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily administration of Gaza.

The timeline of these steps is not clear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s important to ensure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he said.

Potential Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was strongly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “damaging the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

A separate court, the international court of justice, is considering charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry determined that Israel had committed genocide.

Asked about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the moment.”