First Stage of Gaza Ceasefire Framework Almost Complete, States Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial phase of the internationally-supported Gaza truce plan is nearing conclusion, and added that the next stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli leader mentioned he would discuss the subsequent actions in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We are nearing complete the first stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to make sure that we attain the equivalent outcomes in the next stage, and that’s something I anticipate discussing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

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

Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Current Truce

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed 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 declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.

The order of these measures is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

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

Possible Alternatives and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu raised the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “discussion”, and stressed that Israel was firmly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Proceedings

Netanyahu claimed 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 top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu remarked Khan was “damaging the reputation of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry found that Israel had carried out genocide.

Questioned about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the present time.”