🔗 Share this article

Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the first phase of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire agreement is nearing completion, stating that the next stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister said he would examine the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the first phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent results in the next stage, and that’s something I look forward to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Stage two must come now and then phase three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial leader of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released 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 allegations in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return 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 At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

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

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures 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 complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he said.

Possible Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was adamantly opposed 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 Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the 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 chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

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

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

Asked about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the current juncture.”