Tel Aviv: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will on Friday announce its verdict on South Africa's plea for an interim ruling in its genocide case against Israel.
A "public sitting" will take place at 1 pm on Friday at the Peace Palace in The Hague during which Judge Joan E. Donoghue will read the court order, a release issued by the ICJ said.
"On Friday 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice will deliver its Order on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)," the release said.
South African officials, according to Hebrew media, have already reached The Hague, Netherlands, which is the headquarters of the ICJ. South Africa had raised the issue of the Israel-Hamas war before the ICJ, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
It has lodged an urgent appeal to the ICJ to force Israel to "immediately suspend" its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Israel, during the hearing, had, however, rejected the charge of genocide saying that the charges are "grossly distorted".
Israel said that it has the right to defend itself and it is targeting Hamas, which on October 7 had "swarmed into its territory, unleashed brutality beyond comprehension and slaughtered 1200 people". It said that 240 people were kidnapped and kept as hostages by Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently declared his commitment to dismantling Hamas, asserting that "nobody will stop us", CNN reported.
In a press briefing, Netanyahu dismissed potential interference from the ICJ and other entities, including what he referred to as the "axis of evil" led by Iran.
"Nobody will stop us - not The Hague, not the axis of evil, and not anybody else," Netanyahu stated emphatically, rejecting the genocide accusations levelled against Israel at the ICJ.
With agency inputs