• Trump-Netanyahu talks to focus on Hamas disarmament, transitional government, international force
• Israeli forces kill sanitation worker, teenager in West Bank despite truce
• Herzog rebuffs US president’s push to pardon Netanyahu in graft case

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he expects the second phase of a US-sponsored ceasefire plan for Gaza to begin soon, saying he would meet with President Donald Trump later this month to discuss it.

The plan’s second stage concerns the disarming of Hamas, establishing a transitional authority, and deploying an international stabilisation force.

“We very shortly expect to move into the second phase, which is more difficult,” Netanyahu said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu said he would meet with Trump later in December to discuss “opportunities for peace” and how to ensure the plan’s next steps are achieved. The premier’s office said Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House during a phone call on Monday.

The first phase of the Gaza truce, which took effect on Oct 10, is nearing completion. Under its terms, Hamas has returned 20 living prisoners and the bodies of 27 others in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinians. The body of one Israeli police officer still remains in Gaza.

Negotiations have been ongoing for the next stages of the plan, which include the establishment of an interim technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza overseen by an international peace board and supported by security forces.

“I will be having very important conversations at the end of the month on how to ensure the second phase will be achieved,” Netanyahu added.

Speaking alongside Netanyahu, Merz, who became German chancellor in May, urged the implementation of the plan’s next steps. He stated that Germany is providing aid to Gaza and would contribute to reconstruction efforts.

Merz said that criticism of Israel’s policies was “possible and sometimes perhaps even necessary”, adding that it must not be misused as a pretext for antisemitism. He also underscored German support for a two-state solution.

Another truce violation

Meanwhile, Israeli military forces killed a 55-year-old sanitation worker and a teenager in the occupied West Bank, highlighting a recurring pattern where Tel Aviv justifies such actions with claims of “terrorism”, shattering the calm of a regional truce.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the victims as Ziad Jabara Abu Dawoud, 55, and Ahmad Khalil Al-Rajabi, 17. The two were killed Saturday night in the Bab al-Zawiya area in the city of Hebron. The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that Abu Dawoud was a sanitation worker on duty.

“They (Israeli soldiers) instructed the car to stop, and it did. He was working next to a garbage container. They shot them both,” Naiem Abu Dawoud, the worker’s father, told AFP. “A barbaric attack. What would you expect from an enemy?”

Hundreds of Palestinians, including many municipality workers in their orange vests, attended Abu Dawoud’s funeral in Hebron on Sunday.

Netanyahu’s pardon plea

Separately, Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s call to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial, emphasising the independence of Israel’s legal system

Speaking to Politico, Herzog confirmed his office received an “extraordinary” pardon request from Netanyahu and that it is under review. “This is certainly an extraordinary request and above all when dealing with it I will consider what is the best interest of the Israeli people,” Herzog said.

He noted the request will undergo a process involving the Justice Ministry and his legal adviser

Rebuffing Trump’s pressure, Herzog said he values the US president’s friendship and views but stressed that Israel’s institutions operate independently.

“Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country and we fully respect the Israeli legal system and its requirements,” he said.

Asked what would happen if he rejects the pardon, Herzog said Israel’s relationship with the US and with Trump remains “warm”, adding that the issue should be viewed in the proper context and warning against “doomsday analysis”.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, asked for the pardon on Sunday, arguing the proceedings hinder his ability to govern and that a pardon would promote national reconciliation”.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2025