ICJ set to order halt to Gaza war: Report

Israeli officials are expecting that the International Court of Justice at The Hague will issue a ruling later today that would require Israel to stop its ongoing war on Gaza, according to a senior diplomatic source quoted by the Israel Hayom newspaper.

Speaking to Israel Hayom, the source said that legal experts assessed there was a high probability the court would rule against Israel following a petition filed by South Africa.

"The two potential scenarios," the source said, "were that the court could order a cessation of Israeli operations in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, or further, that it could seek to halt the broader war in Gaza entirely through court injunctions," the Israeli paper noted.

The ruling would leave Israel even more diplomatically isolated following a series of serious setbacks this week.

At the start of the week, the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the actions of its chief prosecutor Karim Khan, sought arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for three of Hamas’s senior leaders.

On Wednesday, Israel lashed out at Norway, Ireland, and Spain, who announced that they are recognizing a Palestinian state.