The United Nations has added Israel and Russia to its blacklist for sexual violence in conflict, citing abuse by security forces including the rape of male detainees. The UN verified sexual abuse of 31 Palestinian men, women and children from Gaza and the occupied West Bank between 2023 and 2025, with Israeli attacks including repeated gang-rapes and sexual violence used as torture.
Other violations included rape with objects, attempted rape, attacks on genitals, forced nudity and threats of rape. The UN said these cases were indicative of patterns rather than a comprehensive summary, due to restrictions on investigators. Israel barred UN experts from detention centres, blocked travel to Gaza, and threatened Palestinian detainees if they reported abuse after release.
Russia also obstructed investigations into systemic sexual violence against Ukrainians, barring monitors from accessing prisoners of war and civilians in detention. Despite this, the UN verified 310 cases of Russian abuse, including rape, gang-rape, genital mutilation and electric shocks to genitals. Most victims were men, with 26 women and four girls also abused.
Israel and Russia both deny the use of sexual violence by their military. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said the country had cut ties with UN Secretary General António Guterres in response to the blacklisting. Danon claimed Israel submitted evidence to every claim but did not share it publicly. Israel has not allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detainees since October 2023.
The report, which lists 77 countries and armed groups, found that conflict-related sexual violence had risen sharply from 2024, marked by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls. However, Israel and Russia diverge by also targeting men. The UN documented nine cases of rape by Israeli forces, mostly of men or boys from Gaza, in detention centres or during interrogation.
The UN cited a systemic lack of accountability for sexual violence, noting an assault filmed on security cameras and reported to police by Israeli medics. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the alleged perpetrators as heroic and an attempt to prosecute them as criminal. The far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, caused a diplomatic crisis by publishing footage of abuse against international activists, at least 15 of whom said they were sexually assaulted in custody.
