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Benjamin Netanyahu has commented that the initial part of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce framework is close to completion, noting that the next stage must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader said he would discuss the subsequent actions in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were formalized in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the first phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we achieve the identical results in the second phase, and that’s something I anticipate addressing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must start immediately and then stage three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a major European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

During the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over 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 Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Next Steps and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, set out a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

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

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

Potential Alternatives and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “discussion”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations 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 said Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

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

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