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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial phase of the United Nations-backed Gaza halt in hostilities plan is approaching conclusion, noting that the next stage must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would talk about the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing complete the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we attain the equivalent objectives in the second stage, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first head of state of a significant 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not at this time planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 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 who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 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 Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The timeline of these measures is unclear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was adamantly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu said the primary reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured 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 awaiting the outcome of an investigation.

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

Another tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission concluded that Israel had carried out genocide.

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the moment.”