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Benjamin Netanyahu has observed that the first segment of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce plan is nearing completion, adding that the next stage must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader said he would talk about the next steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we secure the equivalent results in the next phase, and that’s something I anticipate 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 said: “Phase two must begin now and then stage three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a major 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 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 stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not currently planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange 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. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Neither 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 required to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these steps is not clear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis 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 demilitarized,” he asserted.

Potential Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was firmly against 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 Judicial Cases

Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

Another tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry found that Israel had carried out genocide.

Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the present time.”