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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the opening stage of the internationally-supported Gaza halt in hostilities framework is approaching finalization, stating that the next stage must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader stated he would examine the next steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the first phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we attain the identical objectives in the next phase, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Stage two must begin now and then the third phase must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial leader of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released 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 winning federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently under consideration. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Ongoing Truce

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was put into effect 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 identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, set out a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

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

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

Potential Alternatives and Political Positions

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “discussion”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as invented by the court’s chief 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 investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

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

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to discuss this at the moment.”