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Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the primary phase of the internationally-supported Gaza halt in hostilities plan is close to completion, noting that the next phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister said he would address the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the equivalent outcomes in the next phase, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Phase two must come now and then phase three must also be examined.”

Merz is the first leader of a leading European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered 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 allegations in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

During the first phase of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 living Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners 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 Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run daily administration of Gaza.

The sequencing of these steps is unclear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s vital to ensure that Hamas abides not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he stated.

Possible Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was strongly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the reputation of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

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

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