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Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the initial phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities agreement is nearing conclusion, noting that the next stage must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader revealed he would examine the future steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the first stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to guarantee that we attain the equivalent outcomes 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 news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must come now and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the first leader of a major European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages 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 Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Next Steps and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, specified a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

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

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

Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “discussion”, 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 governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu said the primary reason he would not be able 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 wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “damaging the reputation of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.

Another tribunal, the international court of justice, is weighing up allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry 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.”