First Stage of Gaza Strip Ceasefire Framework Nearly Complete, Says Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the first phase of the internationally-supported Gaza ceasefire plan is nearing finalization, adding that the next stage must include the disarmament of Hamas.
Forthcoming Discussions in Washington
The Israeli prime minister said he would discuss the next steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.
“We are nearing finish the first phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we achieve the identical results in the second phase, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”
European Leader Visits Netanyahu
The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must start immediately and then phase three must also be considered.”
Merz is the initial head of state of a leading European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
After winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not currently being considered. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.
Details of the Ongoing Truce
During the first phase of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 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 who died during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.
Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline
Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders chaired by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily administration of Gaza.
The sequencing of these steps is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements 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 obligation which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he stated.
Potential Options and Political Positions
Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “discussion”, and emphasized that Israel was firmly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.
International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Proceedings
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 chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an investigation.
Netanyahu said Khan was “damaging the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded allegations of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt official”.
Another tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is weighing up 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 possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the moment.”
