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Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the opening part of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire agreement is close to finalization, noting that the next phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would talk about the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the equivalent objectives in the second phase, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Stage two must begin now and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for arrest 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 invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

Under the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, set out a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures is unclear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed 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 demilitarized,” he said.

Possible Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was strongly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal 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 said the primary reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of starvation and genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Another court, the international court of justice, 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 informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to discuss this at the present time.”