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Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the opening phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce agreement is nearing conclusion, and added that the second phase must entail the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier revealed he would discuss the following stages in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are close to finish the initial stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to make sure that we secure the same outcomes in the next stage, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Stage two must start immediately and then the third phase must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial leader of a significant European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for arrest 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 welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not currently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 attacks over the same period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control 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 actions is ambiguous in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s crucial to ensure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he said.

Potential Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly opposed the creation 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.

ICC Warrants 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 described as invented by the court’s top 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 awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.

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

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

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