Initial Phase of Gaza Ceasefire Plan Nearly Complete, States Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has proclaimed that the primary stage of the internationally-supported Gaza truce framework is approaching conclusion, and added that the subsequent stage must require the disarmament of Hamas.
Upcoming Talks in Washington
The Israeli prime minister said he would address the future steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were formalized in a UN security council decision on 17 November.
“We’re about to finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the same outcomes in the next stage, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”
European Leader Visits Netanyahu
The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Phase two must begin now and then the third phase must also be considered.”
Merz is the initial head of state of a major European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his former 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 stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany despite the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.
Details of the Ongoing Ceasefire
During the initial stage of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas released the last 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners 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 demarcation line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical period.
Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline
Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.
The timeline of these steps is ambiguous in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.
“I think it’s crucial to ensure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their pledge which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he said.
Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances
Netanyahu raised the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was firmly 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.
ICC Charges and Judicial Cases
Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an investigation.
Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded allegations of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised official”.
A separate court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission determined that Israel had committed genocide.
Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to discuss this at the present time.”