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Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the primary stage of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching finalization, adding that the next phase must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

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

“We’re about to complete the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the same objectives in the second phase, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “The second phase must come now and then phase three must also be examined.”

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 clarified on Sunday a visit was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire

During the initial stage of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives 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. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, set out a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The order of these steps is vague in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on 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 undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he asserted.

Potential Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on 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 objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as manufactured by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry found that Israel had committed genocide.

Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the current juncture.”