South Africa brought the case to the court, asking it to order Israel to stop military action until it could come to a decision on whether the country had committed genocide.

The verdict on the main allegation of genocide could take years to be released.

South Africa said, however, that the ruling was a “momentous one” and a “significant milestone in the search for justice for the Palestinian people”.

The Palestinian foreign minister said it showed that “no state is above the law”, and that it “should serve as a wake-up call for Israel and actors who enabled its entrenched impunity”.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked: “Israel’s commitment to international law is unwavering. Equally unwavering is our sacred commitment to defend our country.”

He said the allegation of genocide was “not only false, it’s outrageous, and decent people everywhere should reject it”.

The court has ordered Israel to take measures against potentially genocidal acts and to take “immediate and effective measures” to enable the provision of aid to people in Gaza.

The ICJ’s order is legally binding but it has no power to enforce its ruling and Israel is expected to ignore it.