First Phase of Gaza Strip Truce Framework Nearly Finished, States Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the opening segment of the internationally-supported Gaza truce proposal is close to conclusion, noting that the second stage must entail the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli prime minister revealed he would address the next steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the first phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent objectives in the next phase, and that’s something I look forward to reviewing with President Trump.”

German Leader Visits 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 considered.”

Merz is the first head of state of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former 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 indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not presently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “fabricated allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 living 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 pulled back to a truce line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since 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 military actions over the same timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian council to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The order of these actions is unclear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

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

Potential Alternatives and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was strongly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Judicial Cases

Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up charges of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.

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

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