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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial stage of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire agreement is approaching conclusion, stating that the subsequent stage must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would address the next steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were formalized in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we secure the same outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Stage two must begin now and then stage three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial leader of a major European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not at this time planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Truce

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed 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 At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 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 largely supported them, specified a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent 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, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures is unclear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s important to ensure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he said.

Potential Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was strongly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Cases

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 invented 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 recused himself from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the reputation of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry determined that Israel had carried out genocide.

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