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Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the opening part of the United Nations-backed Gaza halt in hostilities framework is approaching completion, adding that the subsequent stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli leader said he would examine the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN security council decision on 17 November.

“We are close to finish the first stage,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the identical objectives in the second stage, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was speaking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Stage two must come now and then stage three must also be considered.”

Merz is the first head of state of a significant 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 alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not at this time under consideration. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners 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 demarcation line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical period.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders chaired by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.

The timeline of these actions is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Alternatives and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “discussion”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Legal 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 manufactured by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “harming the reputation of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up charges that Israel has perpetrated 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.”