Initial Stage of Gaza Ceasefire Plan Almost Complete, Says Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the first phase of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire plan is approaching finalization, and added that the subsequent stage must include the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier said he would talk about the future steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were codified in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the same outcomes in the second stage, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “The second phase must start immediately and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued 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 in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not currently being considered. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

During the first phase of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

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

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

Potential Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “discussion”, and emphasized that Israel was adamantly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Cases

Netanyahu said 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 chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

A separate court, the international court of justice, is reviewing allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.

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