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Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the primary phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce agreement is approaching completion, stating that the second phase must involve the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier mentioned he would talk about the future steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were codified in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing conclude the initial phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the equivalent outcomes in the second stage, and that’s something I anticipate addressing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Phase two must begin now and then stage three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial leader of a leading European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court 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 in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had said he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not at this time planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Truce

Under the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures is not clear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s important 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 brought up the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was firmly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim 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 Proceedings

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able to 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 allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

Another tribunal, the international court of justice, is weighing up charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission determined that Israel had committed genocide.

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