🔗 Share this article Initial Phase of Gaza Truce Framework Nearly Finished, Says Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the first part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal is close to completion, stating that the next phase must require the disarmament of Hamas. Upcoming Discussions in Washington The Israeli premier revealed he would talk about the subsequent actions in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN security council resolution on 17 November. “We’re about to conclude the initial phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the equivalent objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.” German Leader Meets with Netanyahu The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Stage two must come now and then the third phase must also be considered.” Merz is the initial leader of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued 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 in Gaza. After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “biased prosecuting office”. Terms of the Current Truce Under the initial stage of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip. Following the ceasefire was declared 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 period. Next Steps and Unclear Timeline Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a technocratic 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 statements on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament. “I think it’s vital to ensure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he stated. Potential Alternatives and Political Positions Netanyahu raised the prospects 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 “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states. International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Cases Netanyahu said the primary reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an inquiry. Netanyahu asserted Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “false allegations of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt official”. Another court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry found that Israel had carried out genocide. Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to discuss this at the moment.”