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Benjamin Netanyahu has observed that the first part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching conclusion, stating that the second phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader revealed he would address the following stages later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were codified in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to finish the first phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to make sure that we secure the identical 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 speaking at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must start immediately and then stage three must also be considered.”

Merz is the first head of state of a leading European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released 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 winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not at this time under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire

During the first phase of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas released the final 20 surviving 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. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire 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 period.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily administration of Gaza.

The order of these steps is not clear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s important to make sure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he said.

Possible Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was firmly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Legal Cases

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as invented 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 wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

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

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

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