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Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the initial stage of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching completion, and added that the second stage must involve the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader revealed he would discuss the following stages later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the initial phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the same objectives in the second phase, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Stage two must begin now and then the third phase must also be examined.”

Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not at this time under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Truce

During the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages killed during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced 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 military actions over the identical period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The order of these actions is not clear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his comments 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 agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he stated.

Possible Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was adamantly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the 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 top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

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

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry found that Israel had carried out genocide.

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