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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the opening phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire proposal is nearing finalization, stating that the subsequent phase must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister stated he would examine the following stages in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing complete the first stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we secure the identical objectives in the second stage, and that’s something I am eager to discussing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

During the first phase of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, resulting in 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 estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

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

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

Possible Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu said the primary reason he would not be able to 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 accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, 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 “false charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Another tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry found that Israel had carried out genocide.

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