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Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the opening segment of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire proposal is nearing conclusion, and added that the subsequent phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would examine the future steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to finish the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we attain the identical outcomes in the next phase, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

German Leader Meets with Netanyahu

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

Merz is the initial head of state of a leading European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Details of the Current Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

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

Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, specified a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The order of these steps is ambiguous in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s vital to ensure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he said.

Possible Options and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was adamantly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective 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 primary reason he would not be able 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 denied any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

Another 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.

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