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Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the primary stage of the United Nations-backed Gaza halt in hostilities agreement is nearing finalization, noting that the second phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader revealed he would talk about the subsequent actions later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to complete the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to guarantee that we attain the identical outcomes in the second stage, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

European Leader Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) 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 winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Terms of the Current Truce

During the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, specified a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The timeline of these actions is not clear in Trump’s proposals 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 commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he said.

Possible Alternatives and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal 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 Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as invented by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “damaging the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.

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