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Benjamin Netanyahu has observed that the first part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire plan is close to completion, and added that the subsequent stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would discuss the following stages later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we attain the identical objectives in the second stage, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli captives in return 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 pulled back to a demarcation line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Next Steps and Unclear Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The timeline of these actions is ambiguous in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s vital to make sure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he stated.

Potential Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was adamantly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped aside from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

A separate court, the international court of justice, is weighing up charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission determined that Israel had carried out genocide.

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the moment.”