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Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the opening phase of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire plan is approaching conclusion, adding that the next phase must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

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

“We’re about to complete the first stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we attain the identical results in the next phase, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

European Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must come now and then phase three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a major European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not currently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

During the first phase of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the remaining 20 living Israeli captives 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 Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since 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 attacks over the same period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

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 supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s vital 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 demilitarise,” he asserted.

Potential Options and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was strongly against the creation 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.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu claimed the primary 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 awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.

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

A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.

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