UN Report Adds Israel and Russia to List of Countries Accused of Sexual Violence in Conflict

The United Nations has officially included Israel on its list of nations suspected of committing sexual violence against civilians, dismissing Israeli objections to this designation.

The UN’s “conflict-related sexual violence” report released on Friday prompted Israel’s foreign ministry to announce its intention to cut all ties with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Last August, the UN noted “credible information” regarding sexual violence by Israeli security forces against Palestinian detainees in prisons and detention centers, while UN inspectors were denied access to these facilities.

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

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

“I have made several written requests and, during meetings, asked for details about initial steps, including orders related to access and information on accountability measures, but I received no substantive response on these preventive measures,” she added.

Patten confirmed an invitation from Israel but mentioned disagreements about the visit’s scope and related access and cooperation issues, noting it had to be suspended due to Israel’s conflict in Gaza.

Multiple Incidents in Gaza and Occupied West Bank

This year’s report verified “multiple incidents of conflict-related sexual violence, including as a form of torture, inflicted against 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank” in 2025.

The report documented 13 incidents occurring last year, with 18 reported in 2023 and 2024.

“Violations included rape, including with objects, gang rape, attempted rape, physical violence to the genitals, targeted shootings of genital areas, touching of breasts and genitals, strip and cavity searches without apparent security justification, forced nudity and threats of rape.”

“Rape and gang rape, in some cases repeated, were perpetrated against nine victims, mostly Palestinians from Gaza,” the report stated, identifying Israeli armed and security forces as perpetrators. These assaults primarily occurred during detention and interrogation at military camps, checkpoints, and during Israeli military operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Among survivors were journalists and human rights defenders, with some violations documented through filming or photography, including at least one case of rape.

The report described how female detainees primarily faced threats of rape, forced nudity, unwanted touching, and humiliating strip searches without justification. Male and boy detainees were subjected to rape, attempted rape, and genital violence, resulting in five victims experiencing severe rectal bleeding or swelling lasting days or weeks.

Russia Also Added to the List

The latest UN report contains concerning accounts of abuses by Russian military forces, citing “findings of continued patterns of sexual violence.”

According to the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Russian armed and security forces were verified.

These cases involved rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks, and beatings to the genitals, affecting 280 men, 26 women, and four girls.

The report’s annex lists 77 parties responsible for patterns of conflict-related sexual violence, including 62 non-state actors. New additions encompass three non-state armed groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UN documented nearly 10,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence globally last year—more than double the previous year’s total.

While inclusion on the list does not automatically impose specific punitive measures such as sanctions, the public naming can result in significant reputational damage for the states involved. Nations repeatedly listed are prohibited from participating in UN peacekeeping operations.

Patten characterized the rise in verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence as a deeply concerning trend representing “only the very tip of the iceberg.”

“This increase can be attributed to our current era of record-setting violent conflicts,” she explained. “Perpetrators are emboldened by a context of impunity where this crime carries almost no consequences.”

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