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Benjamin Netanyahu has proclaimed that the initial segment of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce framework is close to finalization, and added that the subsequent phase must involve the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader revealed he would talk about the subsequent actions later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to conclude the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we achieve the same results in the second stage, and that’s something I look forward to reviewing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first head of state of a significant European state to hold talks 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 stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

During the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the same period.

Next Steps and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The order of these steps is unclear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

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

Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu said the reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an investigation.

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

A separate tribunal, the international court of justice, is considering charges that Israel has perpetrated 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 no reason to consider this at the present time.”