UN Adds Israeli, Russian Forces to Sexual Violence Blacklist
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- The United Nations added Israeli and Russian security forces to its annual conflict-sexual-violence blacklist for the first time, in a Friday report listing 77 government and non-government parties 'credibly suspected' of patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence — including Hamas.
- UN investigators verified dozens of cases of sexual abuse and torture against Palestinian men, women, and children by Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank between 2023 and 2025, despite Israel barring UN experts from entering its detention centers.
- The report documented 310 verified cases of sexual violence committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians and detainees, with many victims subjected to repeated abuse and torture, according to UN investigators.
- Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon threatened to cut ties with UN Secretary General António Guterres, calling the report 'disconnected from facts and reality' and accusing Guterres of lying about the claims against Israel.
- Danon objected specifically to being placed on the same list as Hamas, calling that 'unacceptable' — even as the blacklist also includes armed groups like Sudan's Rapid Support Forces and rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Why it matters: The designation places Israeli and Russian military forces on the same formal UN list as armed militant groups, including Sudan's RSF and DRC rebel groups — an unusual move for state armed forces. Israel has already threatened to sever its relationship with the Secretary General's office, a concrete escalation in the long-running friction between Israel and the UN over Gaza oversight.
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