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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the primary part of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce proposal is approaching finalization, noting that the subsequent phase must involve the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader revealed he would talk about the next steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing complete the first stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the same outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “The second phase must begin now and then the third phase must also be considered.”

Merz is the initial leader of a major European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations 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 presently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

Under the first phase of the present ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange 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, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s crucial to make sure that Hamas abides not only with the ceasefire, but also with their pledge which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he stated.

Potential Alternatives and Political Positions

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying 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 against the creation 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 Proceedings

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

Netanyahu said Khan was “damaging the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

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

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