NEW YORK (TV Delmarva) — For the first time in over 15 years of monitoring, the United Nations has added Israeli military forces to its annual blacklist documenting sexual violence in global conflict areas, citing their handling of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli officials reject these claims.
The comprehensive 35-page document — obtained by Israel’s UN mission late Thursday before Friday’s anticipated publication — identifies 77 governmental and non-governmental entities across 12 nations accused of perpetrating or enabling sexual violence during armed conflicts. The report indicates a significant increase in documented incidents from 2024 to 2025.
This year’s listing also marks the first inclusion of Russian military and security personnel for alleged sexual violence against war prisoners and detained civilians throughout the Ukraine conflict.
The 2025 blacklist features both Israel’s military and security apparatus alongside Hamas fighters, who were previously included following their October 7, 2023 assault on Israel that triggered the Gaza conflict.
Last year’s report from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had cautioned both Israel and Russia about potential blacklisting.
Representatives from both nations responded with fury to their inclusion and condemned Guterres directly.
“We will write a letter to the secretary-general saying that these are unsubstantiated lies and alleged things which again portray Russia as a villain, like they do all the time,” stated Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia. He indicated Russia is compiling documentation and preparing its own assessment of Ukrainian treatment of Russian war prisoners.
“We are done with this UN Secretary-General,” declared Danny Danon, Israel’s UN representative, in a social media post. “Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist along with Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world.” Guterres’ second five-year tenure concludes December 31.
Danon emphasized that Israel had supplied documentation, evidence and comprehensive responses addressing the report’s allegations.
The document states that in 2025, UN investigators successfully recorded “patterns of sexual violence” targeting Palestinians held in Israel and occupied Palestinian areas, confirming numerous instances of conflict-related sexual abuse, including torture, affecting 14 males, seven females, nine boys and one girl from Gaza and the West Bank. The report notes 13 incidents in 2025 and 18 during 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.
It described at least nine victims, primarily from Gaza, who experienced rape or gang rape, sometimes repeatedly, by members of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel’s correctional system, special operations units and law enforcement.
Israel’s foreign ministry stated Thursday it has “comprehensively, thoroughly, and unequivocally refuted these allegations.”
“This decision is yet another example of the UN’s long-standing, institutionalized hostility toward Israel,” the ministry posted on X.
The assessment continues to feature allegations against Hamas regarding sexual violence, though notes many specifics remain unverified due to the Israeli government’s ongoing refusal to grant UN officials necessary investigative access.
The report indicates Russian officials similarly maintain consistent denial of access to UN human rights investigators, yet investigators still confirmed 310 instances of conflict-related sexual violence in Russia and Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories against war prisoners and civilian detainees. Most victims were male, according to the findings.
Ukrainian human rights observers recorded 31 instances of conflict-related sexual violence against prisoners and civilian detainees, with most incidents occurring before 2025, the report noted. Ukraine remains absent from the UN blacklist.
