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Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the primary stage of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce agreement is nearing completion, and added that the second phase must involve the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister mentioned he would talk about the next steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

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

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “The second phase must begin now and then phase three must also be considered.”

Merz is the first head of state of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not currently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 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 mostly endorsed them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these steps is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

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

Possible Options and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was strongly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able make a reciprocal 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 aside from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “false charges of starvation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

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

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