Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Hague-based ICJ says it will deliver interim ruling in Israel genocide case on Friday

By Reuters and ToI Staff 24 January 2024, 7:33 pm 16 Edit
File - the International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court. (Courtesy International Court of Justice)
File - the International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court. (Courtesy International Court of Justice)

Judges at The Hague-based International Court of Justice will rule on Friday whether or not they will grant emergency measures against Israel following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is a state-led “genocide.”

The United Nations’ top court issues a statement saying the 17-judge panel will hand down its ruling in court on January 26 at 1200 GMT, or 2 p.m. Israel time.

While the court is expected to rule on possible emergency measures, it will not rule at the same time on the genocide allegations — those proceedings could take years.

Israel has rejected the accusations of genocide as baseless and said South Africa was acting as an emissary of the Hamas terror group, which seeks to eliminate the Jewish state. It says the Israel Defense Forces is targeting Hamas terrorists, not Palestinian civilians, but that civilian casualties in the fighting are unavoidable as terrorists operate from within the population.

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