Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire is nearly complete, setting the stage for what he warned will be a more difficult second phase — and ultimately a sweeping plan to “deradicalize Gaza.”

Speaking alongside visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Israel is “almost” finished with Phase One of the ceasefire agreement. The final step, he added, hinges on the return of the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili hy”d, the last remaining hostage still held in Gaza.

“After that, we shortly expect to move into the second phase,” Netanyahu said. “I believe that phase will be more difficult.”

The prime minister framed the upcoming stages as part of a broader regional transformation, boasting that Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and even against Iran directly have severely weakened Tehran’s Axis of Resistance.

“Peace opportunities are at hand,” Netanyahu asserted. “I’m going to discuss them with President Trump when I meet him later this month.”

Netanyahu said the central item on his agenda with Trump will be how to bring an end to Hamas rule in Gaza, which he described as “an essential part of ensuring a different future for Gaza and a different future for us facing Gaza.”

The third phase of Israel’s postwar plan, he added, will focus on what he called the “deradicalization of Gaza” — explicitly comparing the effort to the Allied program that restructured Germany after World War II.

Throughout the press conference, Netanyahu praised his relationship with Merz, emphasizing that even disagreements between the two leaders occur in a “honest and open conversation.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)