UN adds Israel and Russia to blacklist for sexual violence in conflict

The United Nations has included Israel and Russia on a blacklist for conflict-related sexual violence, citing verified abuses by their security forces. Between 2023 and 2025, the UN documented 31 cases of sexual violence against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including gang-rape, torture involving sexual assault, and attacks on genitals. Israeli forces obstructed investigations by blocking UN access to detention centers and threatening detainees to prevent reporting abuse. Russia was also blacklisted for systemic sexual violence against Ukrainians, with 310 verified cases, including rape, genital mutilation, and electric shocks. Most victims were men, held in detention centers across occupied territories. The UN previously confirmed similar patterns in Russian-controlled areas, with two-thirds of cases involving multiple forms of abuse and survivors enduring repeated attacks. Both countries denied the allegations. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, claimed the country provided evidence to refute claims but did not share details publicly. Israel has restricted access to detainees, including barring the International Committee of the Red Cross since October 2023. Russia similarly blocked UN monitors from accessing prisoners of war and civilians in detention. The report, covering 77 countries and armed groups, noted a global rise in conflict-related sexual violence since 2024, often targeting women and girls. Israel and Russia stood out by also targeting men, with nine documented cases of rape by Israeli forces, mostly against men or boys in Gaza and the West Bank. One incident occurred in a police station in the Gush Etzion settlement. A ‘systemic lack of accountability’ fueled impunity, the UN stated, citing a filmed assault and rape of a Gazan detainee by Israeli soldiers, later reported by medics. Despite evidence, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, described the perpetrators as ‘heroic.’ The full report was leaked by Israeli diplomats before its release and later published by the US news site PassBlue.