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Benjamin Netanyahu has commented that the first segment of the internationally-supported Gaza truce framework is close to completion, adding that the subsequent phase must include the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader stated he would discuss the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the initial phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we achieve the equivalent objectives in the second stage, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

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

Merz is the initial head of state 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 former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not currently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages killed during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the identical timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

The order of these actions is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s vital to make sure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he asserted.

Potential Alternatives and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was firmly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able make a reciprocal 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 shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “damaging the reputation of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

Another tribunal, the international court of justice, is considering charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission determined that Israel had carried out genocide.

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