UN blacklists Israel and Russia over allegations of conflict-related sexual violence

The United Nations has Israel and Russia on a blacklist of countries suspected of committing sexual violence against civilians, including rape of male detainees and abuse by security forces.

Flotilla activists subjected to sexual abuse

The report was released on Friday where UN confirmed sexual abuse of at least 31 Palestinian men, women and children from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank between 2023 and 2025.

The flotilla activists alleged that they were subjected to sexual abuse while they were in the detention centres.

These also included violations included rape with objects, attempted rape, attacks on genitals, targeted shooting of genitals, touching of breasts and genitals, forced nudity and threats of rape.

The release prompted Israel's foreign ministry to say it would sever all ties with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

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Israel earlier blocked UN experts from detention centres, blocked travel to Gaza, and has threatened Palestinian detainees if they report abuse after their release.

UN cited evidence regarding the abuse

Last August the UN cited real evidence regarding the sexual offences committed by Israeli forces against the Palestinian detainees in prison.

“We invited the representative of the UN to come to Israel to check those ridiculous allegations. They chose not to come,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon posted on X on Thursday.

“I never received an iota of information on measures taken by the government of Israel on implementation of the preventive measures,” Pramila Patten, the UN official who authored the report, told reporters on Friday at a briefing at the UN’s New York headquarters.

Russia also in the list

The UN also monitored Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and verified around 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence committed by Russian armed and security forces.

It said the cases, including rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks and beatings to the genitals, injured 280 men, 26 women and four girls.

Russia deployed systematic sexual torture against Ukrainians, both civilians and prisoners of war, in “almost all” detention centres, the UN had previously found.

Both nations denied such allegations

After the allegations both Russia and Israel denied the use of sexual violence by their military.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said Israel had severed ties with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in response to the blacklisting.

“Israel submitted evidence, documents, and detailed responses to every claim," Danon said in a social media post.

Details of the report, which lists 77 countries and armed groups, were shared by Israeli diplomats at the UN before its release, and the full report was posted online by the US news site PassBlue.

However, Israel and Russia differ from this pattern, with both also accused of targeting men. The UN documented nine cases of rape attributed to Israeli forces, most involving men or boys from Gaza who were allegedly abused in detention facilities or during interrogations.