Israeli and Russian security forces have been added to a United Nations blacklist on sexual violence in conflict, according to a report seen Thursday by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The UN’s annual list names dozens of state and non-state actors credibly suspected of systematically committing sexual violence in conflicts across countries including Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Mali.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel and Russia last August that they could be included.
Despite that warning, the report says United Nations monitors continued to document incidents and patterns of sexual violence in both the war in Ukraine and the occupied Palestinian territories.
It also notes that investigators faced continued denial of access by authorities in both countries, according to the report seen by AFP before its circulation to Security Council members.
Regarding Israel, the report says that in 2025, patterns of sexual violence against Palestinians detained in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory continued to be documented.
It adds that the cases verified by the U.N. reflect multi-year trends but are not comprehensive due to denied access to Israeli detention centers.
Consequently, in 2025, the U.N. confirmed multiple cases dating to 2023 of sexual violence, including as a form of torture, against 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The violations include rape with an object, gang rape, physical violence against the genitals, forced nudity and body searches conducted without apparent security justification.
The perpetrators are identified by the UN as members of the Israeli military, security forces and prison services.
Extreme brutality -
On Thursday, Israel denounced the decision by Guterres as “shameful and absurd,” calling it an attempt to “create a fake symmetry” with Hamas, which is already on the list.
“We are done with this Secretary-General,” Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, said in a post on X, signaling a freeze in relations with the secretary-general’s office until the end of Guterres’ term on Dec. 31, 2026.
He also rejected claims that the U.N. had been denied access, saying its representatives had been invited to conduct investigations in Israel but chose not to come.
Regarding Russia, the report highlights sexual violence in occupied Ukrainian territories and within Russia, allegedly perpetrated by armed forces and prison services, particularly against prisoners of war who provided testimony after their release.
Drawing on data from the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the report cites 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, genital mutilation and electric shocks, committed overwhelmingly against men.
Ukraine, while not included on the list, still faces criticism. The report notes 31 cases of sexual violence allegedly committed by Ukrainian security forces, particularly against prisoners of war.
However, most of these incidents occurred before 2025, the report says, adding that the government has strengthened legislation and allowed UN investigators access.
More broadly, the report describes a marked increase in conflict-related sexual violence in 2025 compared with 2024, violence characterized by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls.
Russia since 2023 and Israel since 2024 have also appeared on another annual U.N. list of alleged violations against children in armed conflict.
