UN judges will rule on South Africa’s request for emergency measures against Israel, which is accused at the World Court of state-led genocide for its military operation in Gaza, Reuters reports.

Today’s ruling at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will not deal with the core accusation of the case — whether genocide occurred — but will focus on the urgent intervention sought by South Africa.

The 17-judge panel will only decide on whether or not to impose provisional measures and whether there is a plausible risk that Israel’s operation violates the 1948 Genocide Convention.

The court will issue its ruling at 1200pm GMT in a hearing expected to last about an hour.

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

Opinion

Editorial

Missing in action
17 Mar, 2026

Missing in action

NOT exactly known for playing a proactive role in protecting the interests of Muslim nations and populations...
Risk to stability
Updated 17 Mar, 2026

Risk to stability

THE risks to Pakistan’s fragile economic recovery from the US-Israel war on Iran cannot be dismissed. Yet the...
Enrolment push
17 Mar, 2026

Enrolment push

THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad...
Holding the line
16 Mar, 2026

Holding the line

PAKISTAN’S long battle against polio has recently produced encouraging signs. Data from the national eradication...
Power self-reliance
Updated 16 Mar, 2026

Power self-reliance

PAKISTAN’S transition to domestic sources of electricity is a welcome development for a country that has long been...
Looking for safety
16 Mar, 2026

Looking for safety

AS the Middle East conflict enters its third week, the war’s most enduring victims are not those who wage it....