Israel ‘added to UN blacklist’ for sexual violence in conflict zones

Israel has been added to the United Nations’ blacklist for sexual violence in conflict zones, the country’s ambassador to the UN said on Thursday.

Danny Danon condemned the decision as “political” and “detached from the facts and from reality”.

The move follows multiple reports by human rights organisations and media outlets – including Middle East Eye – documenting allegations of rape and other forms of sexual violence by Israeli forces against Palestinians since October 2023.

According to the Jerusalem Post, which first reported the listing, the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) will be included in the 2026 blacklist, while other Israeli bodies remain under monitoring for possible future inclusion.

In response, Israel has frozen relations with the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to the Jerusalem Post. 

“The UN Secretary-General has put Israel on the same blacklist as Hamas, ISIS, and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world,” Danon told the outlet.

“This is a moral disgrace and a complete collapse of any credibility left to the UN.” 

The blacklist forms part of the annex to the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). 

It identifies parties credibly suspected of committing patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence during armed conflict.

The annual report is typically released in August, with listed parties generally remaining on it for at least one year.

A total of 63 state and non-state actors were included in the 2025 list, including Hamas.

Widespread sexual violence

Israeli soldiers and prison guards have faced allegations of a wide range of abuses against Palestinian detainees since October 2023, including rape, torture, starvation and degrading treatment.

At least 100 prisoners have reportedly died in custody under these conditions, with nearly half dying in military detention and the remainder in facilities run by the IPS.

Dozens of testimonies from released detainees have detailed alleged mistreatment in Israeli custody. 

Palestinian prisoners speak out about how they were raped in Israeli jails

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In December, two Palestinians held in separate Israeli prisons told MEE they had suffered violent sexual assault.

One detainee said he was dragged into a room where, for nearly an hour, he was kicked, stamped on, insulted and raped with an object while blindfolded.

The other said he was raped by trained military dogs.

Last year, a United Nations inquiry accused Israel of using sexualised torture and rape as “a method of war… to destabilize, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people”.

The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem has described the Israeli prison system as a “network of torture camps” within which prisoners were subjected to “repeated use of sexual violence” including “gang sexual violence and assault committed by a group of prison guards or soldiers”.