The World Court will decide whether to order an emergency suspension of Israeli military action in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said it will announce on Friday whether it will order emergency measures against Israel after South Africa filed a lawsuit They accuse Israel of genocide in its attack on Gaza.

The United Nations top court said in a statement on Wednesday that the 17-member panel of judges would announce its decision in court at 12:00 GMT on January 26.

South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor will travel to The Hague to attend the court’s verdict, a government spokesman announced, according to Reuters.

In its order, the ICJ will not address the main question of whether Israel is committed genocidebut will examine possible emergency measures requested by South Africa to curb Israel’s actions.

Earlier this month, in two days HearingsSouth Africa asked the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, to order an emergency suspension of Israel’s devastating military operation in the Palestinian enclave.

It argued that interim measures were necessary “to protect against further, serious and irreparable damage to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention, which continue to be violated with impunity.”

If the ICJ decides to issue emergency measures, it is not obliged to order the exact measures requested by South Africa.

Such measures are intended to prevent a dispute from coming to a head while the court considers the entire case, which can take several years.

The International Court of Justice’s deliberations are a laborious process that involves detailed written submissions, followed by oral arguments and counter-arguments by the team of top legal advisors representing each state. Experts believe that a decision in the case could take three to four years.

The court’s decisions are legally binding and non-appealable, but the court has no way of enforcing them. If the court grants some or all of South Africa’s eight requests for so-called interim measures, it is unclear whether Israel will comply.

Israel rejected the allegations of genocide as “grossly distorted” and said she had the right to defend herself against Hamas, the Palestinian group that led a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that killed at least 1,139 people and captured around 240 others hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas in Gaza, not Palestinian civilians.

According to Palestinian authorities in Gaza, more than 25,700 people have been killed in the Israeli attack since October, mostly women and children.

While Israel often boycotts international tribunals and U.N. investigations, claiming they are unfair and biased, the country sent a high-level legal team to two days of hearings earlier this month.

A court order to halt operations would be a serious blow to the country’s international reputation. The European Union has remained silent on the matter, but Israel has received support from its largest supporter and arms supplier, the United States.