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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial segment of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce framework is nearing finalization, noting that the next phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would examine the future steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to finish the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we attain the identical outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “The second phase must start immediately and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released 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 allegations in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 living Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting 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 “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The timeline of these measures is ambiguous in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Alternatives and Political Positions

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial 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 manufactured by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “harming 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 allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry 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 moment.”