JOHANNESBURG, Jan 24 (Reuters) – South Africa expects the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule this Friday on whether it will grant emergency measures to stop the war in Gaza, South African news website News24 reported on Wednesday, citing two sources close to the matter.

In response to the news report, South Africa’s justice ministry spokespersonChrispin Phiri posted on X: “We do not have an official communication from the court as to when the judgment will be delivered.”

A spokesperson for Israel’s foreign ministry said he was not aware and was looking into it.

News24 said a South African government delegation had touched down in The Hague in anticipation of the judgment. Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the arrival.

Earlier this month South Africa asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order an emergency suspension of Israel’s devastating military campaign in the Palestinian enclave, accusing it of carrying out a state-led genocide.

Israel dismissed the genocide allegations as “grossly distorted” and said it had a right to defend itself and was targeting Hamas, not Palestinians civilians.

In the initial ruling the ICJ will not deal with the main question of whether Israel is committing genocide. The court will just look at possible emergency measures, meant as a kind of restraining order while the court looks at the full case, which usually takes years.

(Reporting by Nellie Peyton and Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Additional reporting by Dan Williams; Writing by Stephanie van den Berg and Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning and Sharon Singleton)