🔗 Share this article

Benjamin Netanyahu has remarked that the opening segment of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce proposal is nearing conclusion, stating that the subsequent phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would address the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to complete the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to guarantee that we secure the same results in the next phase, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Stage two must come now and then the third phase must also be considered.”

Merz is the first leader of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued 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 in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not currently being considered. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

Under the first phase of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages in return 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. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was put into effect 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 Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.

The order of these actions is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim 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 said the 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 shifting focus from accusations 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 “harming the reputation of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent 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 moment.”