Israeli soldiers detain blindfolded Palestinian men in a military truck in the Zeitoun district of the southern part
of the Gaza Strip. AFP
Published annually by the UN, the list includes dozens of state and non-state groups credibly suspected of having engaged “systematically” in sexual violence in conflicts in countries including Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Mali.
Last August, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel of its possible inclusion on the list.
Despite the warning, the report says that “incidents and patterns of sexual violence continued to be documented by the United Nations” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
UN investigators faced “continued denial of access” from Israeli authorities, according to the report, seen by AFP before its circulation among Security Council members.
Regarding Israel, “in 2025, patterns of sexual violence against Palestinians detained in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to be documented,” the report says.
It notes that the cases verified by the UN point to multi-year trends but are not “comprehensive” because Israeli authorities denied access to detention centers.
Consequently, in 2025, the UN confirmed multiple cases dating back to 2023 of sexual violence, “including as a form of torture,” against 14 men, seven women, nine boys, and one girl in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The violations include rape with an object, gang rape, physical violence against the genitals, forced nudity, and body searches conducted “without apparent security justification.”
The UN identifies the perpetrators as members of the Israeli military, security forces, and prison services.
These findings confirm a pattern of systemic abuse and torture against Palestinian prisoners, exposing the severe reality of Israel's military crackdown in the West Bank and an ongoing genocide in Gaza documented by international experts.
Russia also added to blacklist
Russian security forces have also been added to the UN blacklist, with the report highlighting sexual violence in occupied Ukrainian territories and within Russia itself, perpetrated by armed forces and prison services.
The report says the documented cases particularly involved prisoners of war, who provided testimony following their release.
Drawing on data from the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the report cites 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, genital mutilation, and electric shocks, committed overwhelmingly against men.
Ukraine, while not included on the list, still faces criticism. The report notes 31 cases of sexual violence committed by Ukrainian security forces, particularly against prisoners of war.
However, most of these incidents occurred prior to 2025, the report says, noting that the government has strengthened legislation and permits the UN to conduct investigations.
More broadly, the report deplores a “marked” increase in conflict-related sexual violence in 2025 compared to 2024 — violence “characterized by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls.”
Russia since 2023 and Israel since 2024 have also featured on another highly publicized annual UN “list of shame” concerning violence against children in conflicts.
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