JERUSALEM, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he would meet with U.S. President Donald Trump later this month to discuss the second phase of the U.S. ceasefire initiative for Gaza, where a comprehensive calm has not yet been achieved.
A U.S.-brokered truce came into effect on Oct. 10 after Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel two years ago, but Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violations.
"We very shortly expect to move into the second phase, which is more difficult," Netanyahu told the media alongside visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem, adding that he would hold talks with Trump at the end of December to discuss "opportunities for peace" in the region.
Merz, for his part, noted that phase two "must come now," and stressed Germany's support for a two-state solution to the conflict.
During the first stage, Palestinian militants have released the remaining 47 living and dead Israeli hostages except the body of an Israeli police officer.
The second phrase, according to the U.S. proposal, is expected to address the more difficult issues of enforcing Hamas disarmament, the further withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.
Head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Saturday that the group will give up its weapons "if the (Israeli) occupation ends."
"Our weapon is linked to the presence of the occupation and aggression, and if the occupation ends, this weapon will be handed over to the state," he said.
"Weapons are still under discussion with the factions and mediators, and the agreement is still in its early stages," he added during an interview with Al Jazeera.
Hamas had previously refused to disarm, deeming it a red line, while Israel insists on the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza as a key condition in the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Despite the truce, more than 360 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the period, bringing the total Palestinian death toll to 70,360, according to local health authorities. Three Israeli soldiers have also been killed. ■
