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Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the initial phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce agreement is close to completion, noting that the subsequent phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister stated he would talk about the subsequent actions in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were codified in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are close to conclude the first phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we secure the equivalent results in the second phase, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Stage two must come now and then stage three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial leader of a leading 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 alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

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

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was announced 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 Ambiguous Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, specified a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s vital to make sure 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 Alternatives and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was strongly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Judicial 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 invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

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

Another tribunal, the international court of justice, is reviewing allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission determined that Israel had carried out genocide.

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