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Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the opening phase of the internationally-supported Gaza halt in hostilities plan is nearing completion, and added that the next stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister stated he would address the next steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to ensure that we secure the identical objectives in the next phase, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Phase two must come now and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a leading European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for 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 presently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed 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 who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the same period.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

The order of these measures is unclear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s vital to make sure that Hamas abides not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he stated.

Potential Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants 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 chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Another tribunal, the international court of justice, is considering allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had carried out genocide.

Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the present time.”