Initial Stage of Gaza Strip Ceasefire Framework Almost Finished, Says Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the first segment of the internationally-supported Gaza halt in hostilities framework is nearing completion, adding that the second phase must include the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier stated he would address the subsequent actions in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were formalized in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

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

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former 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 said he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not at this time planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Truce

Under the first phase of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, specified a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily administration of Gaza.

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

“I think it’s vital to ensure 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.

Potential Options and Political Positions

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

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Cases

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

Netanyahu said Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Another court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission determined that Israel had carried out genocide.

Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the present time.”