The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has announced that it will hold public hearings on Jan. 11 and 12 for proceedings initiated by South Africa against Israel over the Gaza war. South Africa requested an urgent order from the ICJ, alleging that Israel violated its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its bombardment of Gaza, while Israel has stated that it will contest the accusations. The ICJ generally takes one to two weeks to issue a decision on emergency measures following the hearings, and its rulings are final but not enforceable. South Africa has accused Israel of committing “genocidal acts” in Gaza and has called for the Israeli government to cease its attacks. The ICJ confirmed the application regarding Israel’s violations of the Genocide Convention but Israel has strongly denied the allegation. South Africa also accused Israel of “failing to prevent genocide” and inciting genocide. The Israeli bombardment has led to significant destruction in Gaza, with a majority of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and a significant portion of the population displaced and facing shortages of essential resources.