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Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the primary stage of the internationally-supported Gaza truce framework is nearing finalization, stating that the next phase must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister stated he would talk about the next steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were codified in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to finish the initial stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we achieve the identical objectives in the second stage, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Stage two must come now and then the third phase must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a major 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 alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not currently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed 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 killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the same period.

Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, set out a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

The order of these actions is not clear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s crucial 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 stated.

Possible Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu brought up 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 subject of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu said the reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as manufactured by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “false charges of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

Another tribunal, the international court of justice, is weighing up charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide.

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