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Benjamin Netanyahu has observed that the opening part of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire agreement is close to finalization, noting that the subsequent stage must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would examine the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were codified in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We are close to conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we attain the same objectives in the second phase, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first leader of a significant 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 alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not currently being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Truce

During the initial stage of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages killed 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 announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, set out a schedule extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The timeline 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 important to make sure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he asserted.

Possible Alternatives and Political Positions

Netanyahu raised the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was firmly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Cases

Netanyahu said the reason he would not be able make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as manufactured by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the reputation of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

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

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