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Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the opening part of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce plan is close to conclusion, and added that the next phase must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would address the next steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to ensure that we secure the same results in the second stage, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “The second phase must start immediately and then stage three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial head of state 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 in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

During the initial stage of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared 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 attacks over the identical period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, set out a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

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

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

Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was strongly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

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

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