NEW YORK: United Nations has added Israel to its blacklist of perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict zones, said to Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon said on Thursday.
In a post on X, Danon said the UN had made “a political decision” by placing Israel on the list.
“This is a political decision! Disconnected from the facts and reality!” he wrote, adding that Israel has submitted evidence to refute the UN reports.
האו״ם הכניס את ישראל לרשימה השחורה של אלימות מינית באזורי סכסוך, לצד ארגוני הטרור הכי אכזריים בעולם – חמאס ודעא״ש.
מדובר בהחלטה פוליטית! מנותקת מהעובדות ומהמציאות!
ישראל העבירה ראיות, מסמכים ותשובות מפורטות לכל טענה. הזמנו את נציגי האו״ם להגיע לשטח ולבחון את הדברים מקרוב, והם… pic.twitter.com/oKTuxlu5T7— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) May 28, 2026
The move follows a series of reports by human rights groups and media organisations, including Middle East Eye, documenting allegations of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed by Israeli forces against Palestinians since October 2023.
According to media reports the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) is set to be included in the 2026 blacklist, while several other Israeli institutions remain under UN monitoring for possible future designation.
In response to the move, Israel has suspended relations with the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to the Israeli media.
“The UN secretary-general has put Israel on the same blacklist as Hamas, ISIS [Islamic State], and the most depraved terrorist organisations in the world,” Danon said.
The blacklist is included as an annex to the UN secretary-general’s annual report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV).
It names state and non-state actors deemed credibly suspected of carrying out patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence during armed conflicts.
The report is usually published in August, and parties placed on the list typically remain there for at least one year.
A total of 63 state and non-state entities appeared on the 2025 blacklist, including Hamas.
Widespread allegations of abuse
Since October 2023, Israeli soldiers and prison personnel have been accused of multiple abuses against Palestinian detainees, including rape, torture, starvation and degrading treatment.
Reports indicate that at least 100 Palestinian prisoners have died in custody during this period, with nearly half of the deaths occurring in military detention facilities and the remainder in prisons operated by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS).
Numerous testimonies from released Palestinian detainees have described alleged abuse and mistreatment while in Israeli custody.
In December, two Palestinians detained in separate Israeli prisons told Middle East Eye they had been subjected to severe sexual violence.
One former detainee said he was taken into a room where he was allegedly beaten, verbally abused and sexually assaulted with an object for nearly an hour while blindfolded.
Another detainee alleged that he was sexually assaulted using trained military dogs.
Last year, a United Nations inquiry accused Israel of employing sexualised torture and rape as “a method of war … to destabilise, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people.”
The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem has characterised Israel’s prison system as a “network of torture camps,” alleging that detainees have been subjected to repeated acts of sexual violence.
According to the group, the abuses included incidents of gang sexual assault allegedly carried out by groups of prison guards and soldiers.
