Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled on Sunday that the current ceasefire with Hamas is approaching a new stage, saying Israel and the militant group are “very shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire” once the final set of remains held in Gaza is returned.
He delivered the remarks in Jerusalem during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The cessation of hostilities, in effect since 10 October, requires Palestinian militants to hand over 47 captives — both living and dead — taken in the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
One set of remains, those of 24-year-old police officer Ran Gvili, has not yet been recovered. Netanyahu said that the next stage of the ceasefire could begin by the end of the month, contingent on that final transfer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled on Sunday that the current ceasefire with Hamas is approaching a new stage, saying Israel and the militant group are “very shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire” once the final set of remains held in Gaza is returned.
He delivered the remarks in Jerusalem during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The cessation of hostilities, in effect since 10 October, requires Palestinian militants to hand over 47 captives — both living and dead — taken in the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
One set of remains, those of 24-year-old police officer Ran Gvili, has not yet been recovered. Netanyahu said that the next stage of the ceasefire could begin by the end of the month, contingent on that final transfer.
Hamas has said the remains of Gvili may lie beneath debris from Israel’s two-year campaign in Gaza, complicating the retrieval process.
Israeli officials have accused Hamas of intentionally delaying the handover and warned that military operations or humanitarian restrictions could resume if all remains are not released.
The shift to the second phase would activate provisions in President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan, including the deployment of an international security mission in Gaza and the formation of an interim Palestinian administration overseen by an international board chaired by Trump.
Merz, who is in Israel for consultations, said Germany is contributing officers and diplomats to a US-led coordination hub in southern Israel and is continuing humanitarian relief operations for Gaza.
Netanyahu said that completing phase one had been viewed by many as unrealistic and that advancing to the next stage posed comparable challenges.
“As I mentioned to the chancellor, there’s a third phase, and that is to deradicalise Gaza, something that also people believed was impossible.
“But it was done in Germany, it was done in Japan, it was done in the Gulf States. It can be done in Gaza, too, but of course Hamas has to be dismantled.”
Merz reaffirmed Germany’s long-standing policy on Israel, invoking the legacy of the Holocaust. “Germany will always stand up for Israel’s existence and security,” he said.
“This is part of the unchanging core of our relationship. This applies today, it applies tomorrow, and it applies forever.”
The chancellor reiterated Berlin’s support for a two-state outcome while noting that “recognition of a Palestinian state can only come at the end of such a process, not at the beginning”.
Netanyahu, asked about bilateral visits, said he had no plans to travel to Germany due to concerns over an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued last year.
Merz said no invitation was currently planned and that he was not aware of any impending EU sanctions on Israel or renewed German restrictions on arms exports.
Germany recently lifted its temporary suspension on military equipment exports following the implementation of the ceasefire.
Defence ties have continued, including Germany’s activation this week of the first element of the Israeli-designed Arrow missile defence system. The US$4.5-billion acquisition is reported to be the largest arms deal in Israel’s history.
Separately on Sunday, the Israeli military said it had killed a militant who crossed the Yellow Line, the internal boundary dividing the Israeli-controlled zone of Gaza from the rest of the territory.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 370 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire began.
Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023 left about 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostage. Nearly all captives or their remains have since been returned through ceasefire arrangements or negotiated exchanges.
Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is administered by the Hamas-run government and maintains records used widely by international agencies, reports that Israel’s offensive has killed more than 70,100 Palestinians.
ADAPTED FROM: FRANCE 24
