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Benjamin Netanyahu has remarked that the opening stage of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire proposal is approaching conclusion, and added that the second stage must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier mentioned he would address the future steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the first phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we secure the identical results in the next stage, and that’s something I am eager to discussing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first leader of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued 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 despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Details of the Ongoing Truce

Under the first phase of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages killed 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 announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

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

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

Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim 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 to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission determined that Israel had committed genocide.

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