UN's top court to rule on emergency measures in Gaza genocide case today

(Patria) - UN judges will today rule on South Africa's request for emergency measures against Israel, which has been accused of genocide in the World Court for its military operation in Gaza.

The decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday will not address the core accusation of the case, whether genocide has occurred, but will focus on the urgent intervention sought by South Africa. Among the measures South Africa has requested is an immediate halt to Israel's military operation, which has devastated much of the enclave and killed more than 25,000 people, Reuters reported. Israel has asked the court to dismiss the case entirely. An Israeli government spokesperson said on Thursday they expect the UN's top court to "reject these false accusations".

South Africa argued two weeks ago that Israel's air and ground offensive is intended to bring about the "destruction of the Palestinian population" in Gaza. Israel rejects the accusations, saying it respects international law and has the right to defend itself.

The panel of seventeen judges will rule only on whether to impose provisional measures and whether there is a plausible risk that Israel's operation violates the 1948 Genocide Convention. The court will deliver its decision at 1:00 PM (12:00 GMT) at a hearing expected to last about an hour.

South Africa has requested nine emergency measures, which act as a restraining order while the court fully hears the case, which could take years. Pretoria wants the court to order a halt to Israel's military action in Gaza, allow more humanitarian aid, and for Israel to investigate and prosecute possible violations.

The court is not obliged to follow South Africa's requests and could order its own measures if it finds it has jurisdiction at this stage of the case.