Initial Phase of Gaza Truce Framework Almost Complete, Says Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu has commented that the opening stage of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce agreement is approaching finalization, adding that the subsequent stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister said he would discuss the subsequent actions in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the equivalent outcomes in the next stage, and that’s something I am eager to discussing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Stage two must start immediately and then the third phase must also be examined.”

Merz is the first head of state of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- 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 said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not at this time planned. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Truce

Under the first phase of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.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 been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to withdraw farther, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The timeline of these measures is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “alternatives” 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 “discussion”, and stressed that Israel was strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Cases

Netanyahu said the primary reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized 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 stepped aside from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.

A separate court, the international court of justice, is weighing up allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission found 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.”