For the first time, Israeli and Russian forces are on a UN blacklist: Know why”

In a controversial and significant move, the United Nations (UN) annual review on sexual violence in conflict zones this year for the first time has included the Israeli armed and security forces for their alleged treatment of Palestinian detainees. But Israel has strenuously denied the charges. The 35-page thorough assessment, released in advance of its official publication by Israel’s mission to the UN, identifies 77 state and non-state actors in 12 countries believed to be guilty of committing or facilitating sexual violence in the context of conflicts. The report also notes a huge jump in such cases in 2025 compared to 2024.

The review also blacklisted the armed and security forces of Russia for the first time for sexual violence against prisoners of war and detainees in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Israel’s armed and security units are on the 2025 list, which also still includes Hamas militants, who were previously added after the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel that triggered the Gaza conflict. In last year’s review, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel and Russia that they risked being put on the list if concerns persisted.

The inclusion has drawn strong reactions from both countries’ ambassadors. “We are going to write a letter to the secretary-general saying these are unsubstantiated lies and alleged things which again paint Russia as a villain, like they always do,” Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. He said Moscow was gathering documentation on how Ukrainian authorities treated Russian prisoners of war.

Israel’s ambassador, Danny Danon, also hit back hard, saying: “We are finished with this UN Secretary-General.” He condemned the decision, saying: 'Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist as Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organisations in the world. He stressed that Israel had provided detailed material and explanations to counter the allegations. Guterres is serving his second term, which ends on December 31.

The UN report said the organisation had observed “patterns of sexual violence” against Palestinians in detention in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The health ministry confirmed cases of 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl from Gaza and the West Bank, 13 of the cases in 2025 and 18 between 2023 and 2024. The charges include rape, gang rape, attempted rape, sexual torture, forced nudity, cavity searches without security justification and targeted violence to the genitals.”

The report outlines at least nine alleged cases of rape or gang rape, at times multiple times, by members of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel’s prison service, special forces and police units, mostly involving Gazans. Israel’s foreign ministry responded by saying it had “comprehensively, thoroughly and unequivocally refuted these allegations” and accused the UN of institutional hostility towards Israel.

The document once again accuses Hamas of sexual violence. However, it explains that investigators have been unable to independently verify numerous details because Israel continues to deny UN teams the access needed to conduct field inquiries.

The report also says Russian authorities have restricted access for UN human rights investigators. But the UN had managed to verify 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Russia and Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine with prisoners of war and civilian detainees, with most of the victims recorded as men.

Ukraine’s human rights bodies documented 31 cases of sexual violence against prisoners of war and civilian detainees, mostly before 2025. Ukraine, it is worth noting, is not on the blacklist.