From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Netanyahu says he expects phase 2 of Gaza ceasefire to begin soon, in press conference with Germany’s Merz
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza is almost at an end, and expects to move on to the second phase soon, at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Netanyahu says “peace opportunities are at hand” after Israeli military operations battered Iran’s Axis of Resistance over the past few years in wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and against the Islamic Republic itself.
“I’m going to discuss them with President [Donald] Trump when I meet him later on this month,” he says, adding he will discuss “how to bring an end to the Hamas rule in Gaza, because that’s an essential part of ensuring a different future for Gaza and a different future for us facing Gaza.
“We finished the first part, as you know, phase one. We’re almost there.”
After the hoped-for return of the body of the final hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, “then we shortly expect to move into the second phase,” Netanyahu says, adding he believes that phase will be more difficult.
He says the third phase will be to “deradicalize Gaza,” which he notes “was done in Germany” following World War II.
“I speak to many world leaders, but when I speak to Merz, it’s an honest and open conversation, even when we have disagreements,” Netanyahu says.
The Times of Israel Community.