🔗 Share this article

Benjamin Netanyahu has commented that the initial part of the internationally-supported Gaza truce plan is nearing completion, stating that the next phase must include the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader said he would discuss the following stages later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we secure the same outcomes in the second stage, and that’s something I look forward to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Phase two must start immediately and then phase three must also be considered.”

Merz is the first head of state of a leading European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered warrants for arrest 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 stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

Terms of the Current Truce

During the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 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. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a demarcation line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The order of these actions is vague in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu raised the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was strongly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded allegations of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry determined that Israel had committed genocide.

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