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Benjamin Netanyahu has commented that the opening stage of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities plan is close to completion, stating that the next stage must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would discuss the subsequent actions in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to complete the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we attain the identical objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a joint media briefing 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 meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered 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 indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Terms of the Current Truce

During the initial stage of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred 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 occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the same timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these actions is vague in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Options and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu raised the possibility 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 “discussion”, and stressed that Israel was strongly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Judicial Cases

Netanyahu said the primary reason he would not be able make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the reputation of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

Another court, the international court of justice, is reviewing charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.

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