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Benjamin Netanyahu has remarked that the initial part of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce plan is approaching completion, adding that the second stage must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier revealed he would talk about the future steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we achieve the equivalent objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I look forward to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first head of state of a significant European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

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

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

During the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 living Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees 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 Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures is ambiguous in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

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

Possible Options and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “discussion”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Legal Cases

Netanyahu said the primary reason he would not be able to make a return 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 diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the reputation of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

Another tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission found that Israel had carried out genocide.

Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the current juncture.”