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Benjamin Netanyahu has proclaimed that the first stage of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching finalization, stating that the second phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister mentioned he would discuss the following stages in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to finish the first stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to make sure that we attain the equivalent outcomes in the next phase, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Stage two must start immediately and then stage three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not currently planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

During the first phase of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in return 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 pulled back to a truce line, resulting in them in occupation 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 approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, specified a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these steps is not clear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

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

Possible Alternatives and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was adamantly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu said the reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as manufactured by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “false allegations of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

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

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