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Benjamin Netanyahu has commented that the opening part of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities plan is close to completion, stating that the subsequent phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier revealed he would talk about the following stages later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were codified in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the initial stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we secure the equivalent objectives in the second stage, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “The second phase must begin now and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to confer with 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 war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Truce

During the first phase of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 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 remains of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

The sequencing of these actions is vague in Trump’s plan 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 demilitarise,” he asserted.

Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “debate”, and emphasized that Israel was adamantly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

Another court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.

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