UN blacklists Israel, Russia over conflict-related sexual violence allegations: report

Both nations have already featured in past UN reports over alleged child rights violations in conflicts

An Israeli soldier gestures to a tank to move forward as the tank goes onto a truck to move away from the site, on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, May 3, 2026. Photo: Reuters

Israeli and Russian security forces have been added to a United Nations blacklist over allegations of conflict-related sexual violence, Dawn reports.

Published annually by the UN, the list includes dozens of state and non-state groups credibly suspected of having engaged “systematically” in sexual violence in countries such as Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Mali, the Pakistani daily said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres had warned both countries in August over possible inclusion on the list.

Despite the warning, the report says “incidents and patterns of sexual violence continued to be documented by the United Nations” in the war in Ukraine and in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It adds that UN investigators faced continued denial of access from authorities in both countries.

Regarding Israel, the report says sexual violence against Palestinians detained in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory continued to be documented in 2025.

It notes that verified cases reflect broader patterns but are not “comprehensive” due to restricted access to detention facilities.

According to the UN, confirmed cases dating back to 2023 involved 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl in Gaza and the West Bank.

The report says the violations included rape with objects, gang rape, forced nudity and physical violence against genitals, with alleged perpetrators identified as members of the Israeli military, security forces and prison services.

Israel condemned the decision on Thursday, calling it “shameful and absurd”.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon accused Guterres of trying to create what he called a “fake symmetry” with Hamas, which is already on the blacklist.

Danon also announced a freeze in Israel’s relations with the UN secretary-general’s office until the end of Guterres’s term in December 2026.

He rejected claims that UN investigators had been denied access, saying Israeli authorities had invited UN representatives to conduct investigations.

On Russia, the report highlights allegations of sexual violence in occupied Ukrainian territories and inside Russia, particularly against prisoners of war.

Drawing on data from the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the report cites 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, genital mutilation and electric shocks, most of them committed against men.

Ukraine itself was not added to the blacklist, though the report notes 31 cases involving Ukrainian security forces, mainly against prisoners of war.

Most of those incidents took place before 2025 and notes that Kyiv has strengthened legislation and allowed UN investigations, as per the report.

The UN says conflict-related sexual violence has risen sharply in 2025 compared with 2024, describing it as marked by “extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls”.

Russia since 2023 and Israel since 2024 have also featured on another highly publicised annual UN “list of shame” concerning violence against children in conflicts, Dawn said.