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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the primary part of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching finalization, stating that the second phase must include the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier stated he would examine 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 complete the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the identical outcomes in the second stage, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Phase two must begin now and then phase three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial leader of a leading European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for 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 trip was not at this time planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in return 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. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, specified a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

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

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

Possible Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “debate”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu said Khan was “harming the standing of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of starvation 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 autonomous investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.

Questioned about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to discuss this at the present time.”