Israel's PM Says Second Phase of Gaza Peace Plan Is "Very Close"
Photo Credit: Reuters via BBC
On Dec. 7, in a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the second phase of the US ceasefire plan was coming “very shortly,” according to Global News.
The second phase outlined in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan makes multiple demands. It calls for the disarmament of Hamas and for Gaza to be temporarily governed under “a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian Committee” overseen by an international transitional board chaired by Trump. Trump’s plan also calls for the erection of a multinational force called the International Stabilization Force (ISF) to patrol Gaza and replace the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
Netanyahu also said that Hamas needs to return the remains of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza first.
As of Dec. 12, Hamas has yet to return the remains of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that incited the conflict. According to the BBC, several searches of Gaza’s rubble have not found his remains.
However, Gvili’s parents, Talik and Itzik, believe Hamas is keeping their son as an insurance policy for future negotiations, as the other hostages have now been returned dead or alive.
"They stole our kid, they stole him," his mother, Talik, told BBC.
"They know where he is," Itzik said. "They just try to hide or keep him. They're play[ing] with us."
In response, a Hamas official told the BBC that the allegations of Gvili’s parents were false and that Israel was just trying to delay moving forward with the agreement.
Gvili’s parents are depending on the Israeli government to pressure Hamas and not move forward with the agreement until their son’s remains are returned. "Everyone in Israel['s] government says to us, 'No, we don't move to the second level until Ran comes back.' This is their promise," Talik said.
On Dec. 7, during a meeting of Israel’s ambassadors in Jerusalem, Netanyahu voiced skepticism over whether the ISF would have the power to force Hamas to lay down its weapons.
“In the second phase, we are moving to disarmament and demilitarization,” Netanyahu said as per The Times of Israel, adding that he had said “Go ahead” when presented with the idea of the multinational force.
“We know that there are certain missions that this force could do,” he continued. “There are certain things they can’t do, maybe the main task they can’t do, but we will see.” However, he vowed that Hamas would be disarmed, saying: “We can do it the easy way, or the hard way. But in the end, it will be done.”
A senior Hamas official told AP News on Dec 8, that they were ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its weapons for a period of years to work toward establishing a Palestinian state.
In an online briefing to reporters on Dec. 8, Israeli spokeswoman Shosh Bedroisan said that Trump will meet with Netanyahu at the White House on Dec. 29 to discuss “the future steps and phases and the international stabilization force of the ceasefire plan.”