Gaza ceasefire moves forward as phase one nears completion
Gaza ceasefire moves forward as phase one nears completion
Phase one nearly done; leaders push for Hamas disarmament and a peace path, with Trump set to join talks soon.
Benjamin Netanyahu says the first phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire plan is close to completion, and the second phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas. He indicated he would discuss the next steps with President Donald Trump later this month in Washington, where the U.S. proposals were codified in a UN Security Council resolution. Netanyahu added that while the initial stage is nearly finished, the challenge is ensuring the same results in the second stage, and he looked forward to hashing out the plan with Trump. The remarks came as European leader Friedrich Merz visited Israel, stressing that phase two should come soon and phase three should also be considered. Merz is the first major European leader to meet Netanyahu in Israel since international arrest warrants were issued by the International Criminal Court, though Netanyahu dismissed the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “corrupt prosecutor.” During the ongoing first phase, Hamas released the last 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and handed over all but one of the 28 bodies of hostages killed during the war. Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of about 58% of the Gaza Strip. Since the ceasefire declaration on Oct. 10, more than 360 Palestinians have been killed, including an estimated 70 children, while three Israeli soldiers have died in Hamas attacks over the same period. Neither Trump’s proposals nor UN resolution 2803 appear to have been fully resolved, and the path forward remains uncertain as negotiations tilt toward phasing in disarmament and stabilization measures.
Cover image source: Netanyahu expects to move to Gaza truce second phase soon 🔗
