UN adds Israel and Russia to list of states accused of sexual violence in conflict

The United Nations has expanded its blacklist of parties credibly suspected of perpetrating sexual violence in armed conflict, adding Israel and Russia for the first time. The inclusion was revealed in the annual annex to the UN secretary general's report on conflict-related sexual violence.

UN investigators verified sexual abuse against 31 Palestinian detainees between 2023 and 2025, including 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl. The abuses took place in Israeli military bases, prisons and detention centers, and included rape, gang-rape, genital violence as torture, forced nudity, abusive strip-searches and repeated threats of rape. Perpetrators included the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Prison Service.

The report highlights a systemic lack of accountability, creating a climate of impunity. A prominent case involved five soldiers indicted for physical assault; despite medical and video evidence of sexual assault, no sexual charges were brought, and after public outcry the charges were dropped.

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has long documented systemic cruelty in Israeli prisons, with a recent report describing the prison system as "a network of torture camps."

In response, Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon called the listing a lie and announced that Israel would cut ties with Secretary General António Guterres until he leaves office in December. Danon objected to Israel being placed on the same list as Hamas, which was already listed for sexual violence during the October 7 attacks.

While the UN blacklist typically does not trigger immediate sanctions, it increases international pressure. Janine di Giovanni, a war correspondent and executive director of The Reckoning Project, noted that true accountability would require bringing Israel before the International Criminal Court for using rape as a war crime, but Israel is not a signatory. Alternative pressure could include excluding Israel from international organizations such as the OECD or the Olympics until it addresses sexual violence.

The report calls for compensation and legal aid for survivors, and most importantly, for the Israeli state to acknowledge the crimes and ensure they do not recur. Di Giovanni contrasted Israel's lack of cooperation with Ukraine, which, after allegations of sexual violence by its own forces, allowed UN monitors access and strengthened its laws. The UN listing serves as an official archive of evidence, awaiting political will to act.