For the first time.. UN lists Israeli forces among perpetrators of sexual violence

In an unprecedented international move, the UN Secretary-General has included Israeli armed forces and security agencies on the blacklist of parties involved in conflict-related sexual violence. This announcement came during the seventeenth annual report presented by Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, confirming the existence of credible patterns of systematic violations.

The official listing included several Israeli security arms, primarily the Israeli army and the prison service, in addition to elite units such as the special 'Keter' unit and the 'Yamam' unit of the police. The decision was based on intelligence and human rights information indicating continued patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence as a tool for torture and humiliation against Palestinians.

UN sources clarified that these entities were under monitoring in the previous report, but the continuation of violations and the prevention of access for international monitoring teams accelerated the decision for official inclusion this year. Patten affirmed that the absence of Israeli cooperation did not prevent the organization from reaching shocking facts about what is happening behind the walls of detention centers and military checkpoints.

During 2025, UN teams were able to verify 31 direct cases of sexual violence attributed to Israeli forces, targeting diverse groups including 14 men, 7 women, and 10 children from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. These figures reveal the broad scope of targeting, including minors and men, as part of a policy aimed at breaking popular will.

Documented violations included brutal crimes such as gang rape, the use of sharp objects in physical assaults, as well as direct shooting targeting the genitals of detainees. The report also recorded cases of forced naked searches and illegal touching without any security justifications, classifying them as war crimes under international law.

The UN representative indicated that most of these crimes occurred inside secret and declared detention centers, where detainees are isolated from the outside world and prevented from communicating with lawyers or international organizations. She added that these practices are not isolated incidents but fall within a broader pattern of sexual violence used as a form of physical and psychological torture.

Regarding the Israeli position, the report confirmed that authorities in Tel Aviv continue to deny the existence of any organized pattern of sexual violence, claiming that these reports stem from 'institutional bias' against them. However, the Israeli government has not provided any evidence of transparent investigations or prosecutions against soldiers involved in these documented crimes.

The report touched upon the famous 'Sde Teiman' detention center case, noting that the Israeli military prosecutor dropped sexual violence charges from the final indictment despite the seriousness of the evidence. The United Nations considered that the political protests in which Knesset members participated to support the accused soldiers reflect the culture of impunity prevalent in the Israeli establishment.

On another note, Pramila Patten justified her not visiting the Gaza Strip so far by the strict security assessments issued by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security, despite receiving official invitations from the Palestinian side. She affirmed that access to Gaza was a fundamental condition in her negotiations, but field conditions prevented the completion of the mission at present.

In response to questions about the delay in documenting Palestinian cases compared to others, Patten explained that her office adheres to the mandates set by the UN Security Council, and that field restrictions hinder immediate documentation. She indicated that many victims are unable to give their testimonies until after their release and their exit from the grip of the occupation.

The report was not limited to Israel but also included the Russian armed forces and their security agencies, where 310 cases of sexual violence committed against prisoners of war and Ukrainian civilians were documented. Russian violations included electric shocks and sexual mutilation, reflecting the increasing use of these crimes in major international conflicts.

The report revealed alarming figures at the global level, with 2025 recording more than 9,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 21 different countries. This figure represents a 100% increase from the previous year, raising alarm bells about the collapse of humanitarian standards in conflict zones around the world.

At the conclusion of the conference, Patten stressed that the inclusion of any party on this list aims to exert international pressure for corrective actions and an immediate halt to violations. She affirmed that the United Nations will continue to monitor the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories despite attempts at intimidation or prevention practiced by the occupation authorities against its staff.

Israel currently faces increasing legal and diplomatic pressure, as this report places it among the countries and organizations most violating human rights in the world. This inclusion opens the door for new international legal prosecutions that may affect military and political leaders responsible for providing cover for these practices.

Restrictions on the access of UN staff and human rights observers still significantly impede the process of documenting and verifying violations.