Netanyahu says Israel and Hamas will enter ceasefire’s second phase soon

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz right makes a announcement next to Dani Dayan chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem Sunday Dec John Wessels Pool Photo via AP AP John Wessels German Chancellor Friedrich Merz right makes a declaration next to Dani Dayan chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem Sunday Dec John Wessels Pool Photo via AP AP John Wessels TEL AVIV Israel AP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Sunday that Israel and Hamas are very shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire after Hamas returns the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza Netanyahu spoke during a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and stressed that the second phase which addresses the disarming of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza could begin as soon as the end of the month Hamas has yet to hand over the remains of Ran Gvili a -year-old police officer who was killed in the Hamas-led Oct attack that sparked the war His body was taken to Gaza The ceasefire s second stage also includes the deployment of an international force to secure Gaza and forming a temporary Palestinian establishment to run day-to-day affairs under the supervision of an international board led by U S President Donald Trump A senior Hamas official on Sunday reported The Associated Press the group is ready to discuss freezing or storing or laying down its weapons as part of the ceasefire in a attainable approach to one of the bulk formidable issues ahead Netanyahu says second phase will be challenging Netanyahu declared minimal people presumed the ceasefire s first stage could be achieved and the second phase is just as challenging As I mentioned to the chancellor there s a third phase and that is to deradicalize Gaza something that also people considered 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 subject Hamas has to be dismantled he disclosed The return of Gvili s remains and Israel s return of bodies of Palestinians in exchange would complete the first phase of Trump s -point ceasefire plan Hamas says it has not been able to reach all remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel s two-year offensive in Gaza Israel has accused the militants of stalling and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned A group of families of hostages noted in a comment that we cannot advance to the next phase before Ran Gvili returns home Meanwhile Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir on Sunday called the so-called Yellow Line that divides the Israeli-controlled majority of Gaza from the rest of the territory a new demarcation We have operational control over extensive parts of the Gaza Strip and we will remain on those defense lines Zamir commented The Yellow Line is a new confines line serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity Germany says endorsement for Israel is unchanged Merz revealed Germany one of Israel s closest allies is assisting with the implementation of the second phase by sending officers and diplomats to a U S -led civilian and military coordination center in southern Israel and by sending humanitarian aid to Gaza The chancellor also explained Germany still believes that a two-state-solution is the best doable option but that the German federal administration remains of the opinion that recognition of a Palestinian state can only come at the end of such a process not at the beginning The U S -drafted plan for Gaza leaves the door open to Palestinian independence Netanyahu has long asserted that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel s borders Netanyahu also stated that while he would like to visit Germany he hasn t planned a diplomatic trip because he is concerned about an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court the U N s top war crimes court last year in connection with the war in Gaza Merz noted there are at this moment no plans for a visit but he may invite Netanyahu in the future He added that he is not aware of future sanctions against Israel from the European Union nor any plans to renew German bans on military exports to Israel Germany had a temporary ban on exporting military equipment to Israel which was lifted after the ceasefire began on Oct Israel kills militant in Gaza The Israeli military explained it killed a militant who approached its troops across the Yellow Line Gaza s Strength Ministry says Israeli forces have killed more than Palestinians since the start of the ceasefire and that the bodies of six people killed in attacks had been brought to local hospitals over the past hours In the original Hamas-led attack in the militants killed around people and took more than others hostage Almost all the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals Israel s offensive in Gaza has killed at least Palestinians according to Gaza s Wellness Ministry which operates under the Hamas-run ruling body The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says that nearly half the dead have been women and children The ministry is part of Gaza s Hamas regime and its numbers are considered reliable by the U N and other international bodies Grieshaber released from Berlin Find more of AP s Israel-Hamas coverage at https apnews com hub israel-hamas-war Source