Israel put on UN sexual violence in warzones blacklist for first time

Israel has been added to the United Nations’ blacklist of countries implicated in sexual violence in warzones for the first time. The UN verified 31 cases of sexual violence linked to Israel, including incidents from 2023 to 2025, involving rape, gang rape, forced nudity, and genital violence against detainees. The victims included men, women, boys, and girls held in Israeli detention facilities. The report highlights a pattern of abuse amid ongoing conflict, though the UN noted its findings are indicative rather than exhaustive due to limited access and cooperation. The inclusion follows mounting evidence and allegations of sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees by Israeli security forces. One widely publicized case involved leaked CCTV footage showing Israeli guards allegedly sexually abusing a Gaza detainee at the Sde Teiman detention center. Despite corroborating medical examinations, charges against the guards were dropped earlier this year. Other testimonies from former detainees have described sexual torture, but Israeli authorities have denied these claims and maintain that their detention practices comply with legal standards. Israel strongly rejected the UN report and accused Secretary-General António Guterres of spreading antisemitic falsehoods. The Israeli mission to the UN announced it would sever contact with Guterres’ office as long as he remains in charge. This diplomatic fallout underscores the deep tensions surrounding accountability and human rights concerns in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The UN’s report follows previous listings of Hamas for sexual violence, including allegations from former hostages. The Committee against Torture has expressed grave concern over reports of systematic torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians in Israeli custody, which reportedly intensified after recent hostilities. The UN’s blacklisting of Israel marks a significant development in international scrutiny of alleged abuses in the region and raises urgent questions about the protection of detainees and adherence to international humanitarian law.