First Stage of Gaza Truce Framework Nearly Finished, States Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the primary phase of the internationally-supported Gaza truce agreement is nearing completion, stating that the next phase must require the disarmament of Hamas.
Upcoming Talks in Washington
The Israeli premier stated he would address 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 initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we attain the same objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”
German Leader Visits Netanyahu
The prime minister was talking at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Stage two must begin now and then the third phase must also be taken into account.”
Merz is the first leader of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) 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 in Gaza.
After winning federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a trip was not at this time under consideration. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.
Terms of the Current Truce
During the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange 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 Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the identical period.
Next Steps and Unclear Sequencing
Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, set out a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created 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 steps is ambiguous in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.
“I think it’s crucial to make sure that Hamas abides not only with the ceasefire, but also with their pledge which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he said.
Potential Options and Diplomatic Positions
Netanyahu brought up the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.
International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Proceedings
Netanyahu stated the reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.
Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.
A separate tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is considering charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission determined that Israel had carried out genocide.
Questioned about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the current juncture.”
