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Benjamin Netanyahu has remarked that the initial part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching conclusion, stating that the subsequent phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister stated he would examine the subsequent actions in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the first phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the equivalent results in the second phase, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Phase two must come now and then stage three must also be considered.”

Merz is the initial leader of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Details of the Current Truce

During the first phase of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the same period.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

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 expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

The timeline of these measures is ambiguous in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Options 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 subject of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the reputation of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing allegations 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 told reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the current juncture.”