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Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the first part of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce agreement is nearing completion, adding that the second stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader said he would talk about the subsequent actions in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the first stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we secure the same outcomes in the next phase, and that’s something I anticipate addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “The second phase must come now and then the third phase must also be considered.”

Merz is the first leader of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Ceasefire

During the initial stage of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages killed during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical period.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily administration of Gaza.

The timeline of these steps 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 make sure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he said.

Potential Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was adamantly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu stated the reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “damaging the standing of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.

A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide.

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