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Benjamin Netanyahu has commented that the first segment of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire framework is approaching finalization, stating that the second stage must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

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

“We are nearing finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to make sure that we secure the identical outcomes in the next stage, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not currently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

During the initial stage of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas freed 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 remains of hostages killed during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce 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 estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The sequencing of these steps 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 vital to ensure 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 Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was strongly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the 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 means of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an inquiry.

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

A separate tribunal, the international court of justice, is reviewing allegations 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 little cause to consider this at the current juncture.”