The United Nations has included Israel and Russia on its official blacklist of nations suspected of sexual violence in conflict areas, according to a Friday announcement that sparked Israel’s foreign ministry to declare it would cut all connections with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Secretary-General’s yearly report to the UN Security Council regarding conflict-related sexual violence advances beyond the previous year’s action, when Guterres warned Israel and Russia they might be included on the roster of parties “credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence.”
The current report takes that step and includes disturbing accounts of violations by Israeli and Russian military and security personnel.
Hamas, Israel’s primary adversary whose October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel sparked the Gaza conflict, was previously included on the blacklist. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon posted on X Thursday that placing Israel alongside the militant organization represented a “new low.”
“This is a political decision! Disconnected from the facts and reality!” Danon stated in another message from the Israeli UN mission, which noted he learned of the decision during a telephone conversation with Guterres.
Russia’s UN mission has not yet provided a response to requests for comment.
Inclusion on the roster does not automatically trigger specific penalties like sanctions, though public identification and condemnation can inflict considerable reputational harm on the nations involved. Countries repeatedly listed face exclusion from UN peacekeeping missions.
Danon stated Israel had provided comprehensive responses to every accusation and had extended invitations for UN officials to visit and assess the circumstances, but they declined to do so.
“Given that Antonio Guterres has chosen to violate every standard of honesty, integrity and professionalism, Israel has decided to sever all ties with the Secretary-General’s Office and will wait until a new UN Secretary-General is appointed,” the ministry announced on X.
A replacement UN secretary-general is scheduled to be selected later this year.
When questioned about Danon’s statements during a routine briefing Thursday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric responded: “I can tell you from the Secretary-General’s point of view, his door remains open to Israeli representatives, as to the other 192 member states and the two observer states.”
This year’s document stated that in 2025, “the United Nations verified multiple incidents of conflict-related sexual violence, including as a form of torture, inflicted against 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”
The report indicated 13 incidents happened in 2025, with 18 occurring in 2023 and 2024.
“Violations consisted of rape, including with objects, gang rape, attempted rape, physical violence to the genitals, instances of targeted shooting of the genitals, touching of breasts and genitals, strip and cavity searches conducted without apparent security justification, forced nudity and threats of rape,” the document detailed.
“Rape and gang rape, in some cases repeated, were perpetrated against nine victims, the majority from Gaza,” it continued, noting that perpetrators included Israeli military and security personnel and occurred mainly during detention and questioning across multiple locations, including military facilities, checkpoints, and during Israeli operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The report noted that victims included journalists and human rights advocates, and that some violations were recorded on video or in photographs, including one rape incident.
The document further stated that sexual violence against female prisoners primarily involved rape threats, forced nakedness, unwanted contact, and humiliating strip searches without justification, while men and boys experienced rape, attempted rape, and genital violence.
This led to five male victims experiencing severe rectal bleeding or swelling lasting days or weeks, according to the report.
Regarding Russia, the document stated the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine had confirmed 310 instances of conflict-related sexual violence committed by Russian military and security forces.
These cases, involving rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks, and genital beatings, affected 280 men, 26 women, and four girls, the report noted.
