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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the first segment of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce plan is approaching conclusion, stating that the subsequent stage must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would examine the following stages in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to complete the first phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must begin now and then the third phase must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial leader of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages killed during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was put into effect 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 killed in Hamas military actions over the identical timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The order of these actions is vague in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on 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 Alternatives and Political Positions

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

International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Cases

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

A separate tribunal, the international court of justice, is weighing up allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission concluded that Israel had carried out genocide.

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