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Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the initial phase of the internationally-supported Gaza truce proposal is close to completion, adding that the subsequent stage must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would discuss the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to finish the first phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent objectives in the second phase, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Phase two must come now and then the third phase must also be considered.”

Merz is the initial leader of a leading European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not currently under consideration. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 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. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures is unclear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was adamantly 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.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Cases

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

Netanyahu said Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

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

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the present time.”