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Benjamin Netanyahu has proclaimed that the initial part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching conclusion, noting that the subsequent phase must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier stated he would address the following stages later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to conclude the initial phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we attain the same outcomes in the second stage, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Stage two must start immediately and then stage three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued 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 welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not currently under consideration. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Details of the Ongoing Truce

During the first phase of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 20 living 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 killed during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced 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 fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the identical timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, set out a timetable 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 “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The timeline of these steps is vague in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

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

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 rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “discussion”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu said 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 way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

Another court, the international court of justice, is considering allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.

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