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Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the initial part of the United Nations-backed Gaza halt in hostilities framework is close to completion, stating that the second stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier revealed he would talk about the next steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing conclude the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we attain the identical objectives in the second phase, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must start immediately and then the third phase must also be considered.”

Merz is the first head of state of a leading European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not presently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Details of the Ongoing Truce

During the initial stage of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 living 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 killed during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the identical period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, set out a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

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

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

Potential Alternatives and Political Positions

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able 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 shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

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

Another court, the international court of justice, is considering allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide.

Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to discuss this at the present time.”