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Benjamin Netanyahu has remarked that the initial part of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire framework is close to conclusion, adding that the second phase must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would discuss the next steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the equivalent outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint media briefing 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 first head of state of a major European state to meet 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 war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had said he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not at this time planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Details of the Current Truce

Under the first phase of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli captives in return 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 Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was put into effect 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 attacks over the same timeframe.

Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s crucial to make sure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he asserted.

Possible Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “discussion”, and stressed that Israel was adamantly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Cases

Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped aside from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu said Khan was “damaging the standing of the ICC” with “false charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.

A separate court, the international court of justice, is considering charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent 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.”