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Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the opening segment of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities agreement is approaching completion, stating that the next phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister stated he would examine the future steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the initial phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we attain the same objectives in the next phase, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

European Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Stage two must start immediately and then the third phase must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial leader of a significant European state to confer with 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not at this time planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

During the initial stage of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire 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 killed in Hamas military actions over the identical period.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

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

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

Potential Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu raised the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was firmly against the creation 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.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu said the reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “harming the reputation of the ICC” with “unfounded allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

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

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