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Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the first segment of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities agreement is close to finalization, adding that the second phase must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister said he would discuss the subsequent actions later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were codified in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we secure the same objectives in the second phase, and that’s something I am eager to discussing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must come now and then stage three must also be considered.”

Merz is the initial leader of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not currently being considered. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

During the first phase of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages 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. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following 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 Ambiguous Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, set out a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s important to make sure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their pledge which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he stated.

Potential Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu raised the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining 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 opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission concluded that Israel had carried out genocide.

Questioned about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to discuss this at the present time.”