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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial stage of the internationally-supported Gaza halt in hostilities proposal is nearing completion, stating that the subsequent stage must entail the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader stated he would examine the subsequent actions in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the first phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent results in the second phase, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Phase two must start immediately and then phase three must also be considered.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a significant European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released 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 welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not currently being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire

During the first phase of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 living Israeli hostages in return 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. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, set out 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 set up under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily administration of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s crucial 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 asserted.

Potential Alternatives and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective 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 Judicial Cases

Netanyahu said the reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized 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 conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “harming the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

Another court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), 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 informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the current juncture.”