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Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the first segment of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire agreement is nearing conclusion, stating that the second phase must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader said he would discuss the following stages in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we attain the identical objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I am eager to discussing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Phase two must begin now and then stage three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) 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 indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Details of the Ongoing Truce

During the first phase of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Next Steps and Unclear Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

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

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

Possible Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was firmly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

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

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

Another tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry determined that Israel had committed genocide.

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the current juncture.”