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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the first part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal is nearing conclusion, stating that the next stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier mentioned he would talk about the following stages in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we secure the equivalent results in the next stage, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must begin 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 issued 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 allegations in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not currently under consideration. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

During the initial stage of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the identical period.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, detailed a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these actions is not clear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s important to make sure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he stated.

Possible Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “debate”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Judicial Cases

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

Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

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

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the moment.”