Today, the International Court of Justice will hold a third day of hearings at The Hague on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians, Al Jazeera reports.

We can expect the tone to be different compared with the past two days as representatives of the only two countries likely to defend Israel — the US and Hungary — will be speaking. Last year, the two nations voted against a UN General Assembly’s request asking the ICJ to assess Israel’s responsibility to ensure the provision of essential supplies to Gaza. The vast majority voted in favour.

On Monday, day one of the hearings, judges gave ample time to Palestine to present its argument. On day two, nine countries presented their positions, each getting 30 minutes.

It started with South Africa, which has turned into one of the staunchest defenders of Palestine in the past years. In 2023, it brought a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. Hearings will go on for two more days.

While no immediate ruling is expected, the court’s advisory opinion will likely shape future international legal approaches.

Whatever the court decides, it will be nonbinding, meaning its effect depends on whether states choose to enforce or ignore it.