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

Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the initial stage of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce framework is nearing finalization, and added that the second stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.

Forthcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister revealed he would talk about the subsequent actions in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing finish the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we achieve the identical outcomes in the next phase, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”

European Leader Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Phase two must come now and then phase three must also be considered.”

Merz is the initial leader of a leading European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered 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 allegations in Gaza.

After winning federal elections in February, Merz had said he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not currently planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire

During the first phase of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas released the final 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 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the same period.

Future Stages and Unclear Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, set out a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run daily administration of Gaza.

The order of these steps is not clear 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 asserted.

Possible Alternatives and Political Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was strongly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Charges 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 invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission found that Israel had carried out genocide.

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