UN includes Israel and Russia on list of sexual violence in conflicts

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN
Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction
The security forces of Israel and Russia were included by the UN on the list of those responsible for sexual violence in armed conflicts, mainly due to allegations involving prisoners, according to an annual report obtained by AFP this Thursday (28).
In August last year, the Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, had already warned Israel and Russia about the risk of joining the list. Despite this, "the United Nations continued to record incidents and patterns of sexual violence" linked to the war in Ukraine and the occupied Palestinian territories, according to the new report, which will be sent to the Security Council.
The document also states that, even after the warning, UN investigators faced a "persistent denial of access" by authorities in both countries.
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In the case of Israel, the report points out that "in As of 2025, cases of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories continued to be recorded." The UN emphasizes, however, that the confirmed episodes represent just a sample of a pattern observed over several years, as access to Israeli detention centers remains restricted.
According to the text, the UN confirmed in 2025 several cases of sexual violence that had occurred since 2023, "including torture", against 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Among the abuses reported are rape with objects, gang rapes, physical attacks on the genitals, forced nudity and body searches carried out "without apparent security justification". The UN attributes the cases to members of the Israeli Army, security forces and agents of the penitentiary system.
Israel reacted even before the official release of the report and classified Guterres' decision as "shameful and absurd", stating that the country would be placed on the same level as Hamas, which is already on the list.
"We broke with this secretary general", declared the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in a video published on X. According to him, Israel decided "freeze" relations with Guterres' cabinet until the end of his term, on December 31.
In relation to Russia, the report cites episodes of sexual violence committed in occupied Ukrainian territories and also within Russia itself by members of the armed forces and the penitentiary system. The reports include testimonies from prisoners of war after their release.
Based on data from the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, the UN recorded 310 cases of sexual violence related to the conflict, including rapes, genital mutilations and electric shocks - the majority of victims were male.
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Source: G1