Initial Phase of Gaza Truce Plan Almost Complete, Says Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial part of the United Nations-backed Gaza truce plan is nearing completion, adding that the next phase must require the demilitarization of Hamas.
Upcoming Discussions in Washington
The Israeli prime minister stated he would talk about the future steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were formalized in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.
“We’re about to finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we attain the identical outcomes in the next phase, and that’s something I anticipate addressing with President Trump.”
European Leader Visits Netanyahu
The prime minister was speaking at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Stage two must start immediately and then phase three must also be examined.”
Merz is the initial head of state 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 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 despite the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.
Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire
Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas freed the final 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a demarcation line, leaving them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the same timeframe.
Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing
Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be created under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.
The sequencing of these steps is not clear in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his comments 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 pledge which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he asserted.
Possible Options and Political Stances
Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and stressed that Israel was firmly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective 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 Judicial Proceedings
Netanyahu said the 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 chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an inquiry.
Netanyahu remarked Khan was “harming the reputation of the ICC” with “false charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.
Another tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is reviewing charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.
Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the current juncture.”
