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Benjamin Netanyahu has observed that the first phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce framework is nearing conclusion, adding that the next phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister revealed he would address the next steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were codified in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we achieve the same results in the next stage, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

European Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Phase two must begin now and then phase three must also be examined.”

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants 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 stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

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 Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures is not clear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was firmly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able 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 means of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

A separate tribunal, the international court of justice, is weighing up charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission concluded that Israel had carried out genocide.

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