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Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the opening part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire plan is approaching finalization, and added that the next phase must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister stated he would examine the next steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent outcomes 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 joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Phase two must come now and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered 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 said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not at this time under consideration. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these actions is not clear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s important to make sure 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 raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying 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 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 Warrants and Legal Cases

Netanyahu said the reason he would not be able to 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 way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “damaging the credibility of the ICC” with “false charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

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

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