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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the first part of the United Nations-backed Gaza halt in hostilities plan is close to completion, stating that the second stage must entail the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister said he would examine the future steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were formalized in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

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

European Leader Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the initial head of state of a leading 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 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 indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not currently under consideration. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, 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 more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s crucial to make sure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their pledge which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he stated.

Potential Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was firmly opposed the establishment 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 Warrants and Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able to make a return 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 allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “harming the reputation of the ICC” with “unfounded allegations of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission determined 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 present time.”