CAIRO

The Arab League is set to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss a provisional ruling issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The meeting will be held at the level of permanent delegates at the request of Palestine to draft an Arab position on the ICJ ruling, Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki said in a statement.

South Africa took Israel to The Hague-based ICJ on Dec. 29 on charges of genocide against Palestinians amid a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

On Friday, the UN court found South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide plausible.

The court issued an interim order urging Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza and to improve the humanitarian situation.

Flouting the ICJ’s provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where at least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 65,087 others injured since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel says nearly 1,200 people have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi