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Benjamin Netanyahu has remarked that the opening stage of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce framework is nearing completion, adding that the next stage must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister revealed he would examine 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 are nearing conclude the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we secure the identical outcomes in the next stage, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

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

Merz is the initial head of state of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

During the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following 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 identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, specified a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

The order of these steps is ambiguous in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s crucial to make sure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he asserted.

Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu raised the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “debate”, and emphasized that Israel was strongly opposed the creation 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.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal 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 characterized as invented by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “damaging the reputation of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.

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

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the moment.”