Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to meet with senior legal officials and government ministers on Thursday before the International Court of Justice's ruling on the Gaza war, according to an Army Radio report.

Netanyahu was to be at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv to prepare for the court's decision regarding South Africa's genocide charges against Israel in The Hague, including the possibility that the justices will issue an emergency ruling to cease or restrict the war against Hamas.

Israel has been at war with Hamas since the terrorist group invaded the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people, wounding thousands more, and kidnapping more than 240. Israel's stated military goals are to destroy Hamas as a political and military entity in Gaza, free the hostages, and ensure that Gaza can never again threaten Israel.

The ICJ ruling is expected to be announced Friday.

Legal adviser to the government Gali Baharav-Miara, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, and others were expected to attended the Thursday meeting.

Several countries, including the United States and Germany, have supported Israel during the trial.

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Jan. 3 that the submission by Pretoria was "meritless, counterproductive, completely without any basis whatsoever."

More than 200 members of the U.S. Congress sent an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday condemning South Africa for filing "a grossly unfounded case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)."

"South Africa's accusation of genocide against Israel exposes how far Israel's enemies will go in their attempts to demonize the Jewish state," they wrote.

The letter notes that while South Africa barely acknowledged the Hamas terrorists "who gleefully massacred, mutilated, raped, and kidnapped innocent civilians" on Oct. 7, it made "grossly unfounded and defamatory charges against Israel on the world stage."

Friday's ruling is provisional, and a final decision could take years. Once a ruling is issued, the decision of the court is binding by international law. However, there is no enforcement mechanism.

"The impact of a ruling against Israel is not direct. The ruling will likely bounce over to the [U.N.] Security Council where America still has a veto, but it will make it a lot more difficult for countries to openly support Israel and as a result, it will make it a lot more difficult to prosecute the war," Avraham Shalev, an adviser and specialist in public law at the Kohelet Policy Forum told JNS.

"Overall, this trial can go in many directions. The court can directly intervene or uphold the Israeli defense. They can also request that more access to humanitarian aid be given. At this stage it is impossible to know."

This JNS.org report was republished with permission from Jewish News Syndicate.