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Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the first phase of the internationally-supported Gaza truce plan is close to completion, adding that the second stage must involve the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader said he would talk about the subsequent actions later this month 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 first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to guarantee that we secure the identical objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “The second phase must come now and then the third phase must also be examined.”

Merz is the first head of state of a significant European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

Under the initial stage of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

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

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

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

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

Potential Alternatives and Political Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was adamantly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Cases

Netanyahu claimed 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 diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “false charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

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

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