The United Nations has added Israeli security forces to its annual blacklist of parties credibly suspected of committing sexual violence in armed conflicts, a report circulated to Security Council members on Thursday confirmed. Russia was added to the same list simultaneously. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, swiftly denounced the decision as "outrageous" and announced that Israel was severing all contact with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, declaring: "We are done with this secretary-general."
The UN's report, published annually by Guterres's office, documents patterns of conflict-related sexual violence across dozens of countries, including Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Mali. It draws on cases verified by UN investigators who, in Israel's case, faced "continued denial of access" to detention facilities. Despite this restriction, the UN confirmed multiple cases dating back to 2023, involving 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl in Gaza and the West Bank. Documented violations include rape, gang rape, physical violence against genitals, forced nudity and body searches conducted "without apparent security justification," with perpetrators identified as members of the Israeli military, security forces and prison services. Guterres also criticised Israel for dropping charges against soldiers implicated in serious abuses at the Sde Teiman detention camp, saying this entrenched a culture of impunity.
Regarding Russia, the report cites 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in occupied Ukrainian territories and within Russia itself, including rape, genital mutilation and electric shocks, committed overwhelmingly against men — many of them prisoners of war who testified after their release. Ukraine, while not placed on the blacklist, was cited for 31 cases involving its own security forces, though investigators noted the government has strengthened legislation and permits UN access.
Israel had been warned of possible inclusion last August, and Hamas — which carried out the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war — is already on the list. Israel's foreign ministry accused Guterres of using his final months in office, which run until December 31, 2026, to "fabricate baseless accusations." Danon rejected the access denial, claiming UN representatives had been invited to investigate in Israel but "chose not to come." Guterres's spokesman said the secretary-general's door "remains open."
The listing carries significant symbolic and diplomatic weight, even if it does not trigger automatic legal consequences. Relations between Israel and the UN have been severely strained since the start of the Gaza war; Guterres was declared persona non grata by Israel in 2024. Guterres renewed his call on Thursday for Israel to "immediately cease all acts of sexual violence" and grant unrestricted access to UN investigators. The broader report warned of a "marked" increase in conflict-related sexual violence globally in 2025 compared to the previous year, describing it as violence "characterised by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls."