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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the primary stage of the internationally-supported Gaza halt in hostilities plan is approaching finalization, noting that the next stage must entail the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would examine the next steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were formalized in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the first phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to make sure that we attain the equivalent results in the next phase, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “The second phase must start immediately and then phase three 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 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not currently being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since 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 fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these steps is vague in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “other options” 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 reiterated that Israel was strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported 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 reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Another court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission determined that Israel had carried out genocide.

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