On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a formal warning to Israel, placing it “on notice” for possible inclusion in the United Nations’ blacklist of states and groups credibly accused of systematic sexual violence during armed conflicts. In the same move, Guterres added Hamas to the list for the first time.
The blacklist is an annex to the UN’s annual Report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, which names parties believed to have engaged in such abuses. In the 2025 draft report — reviewed by The Times of Israel and due for release in the coming days — Israel does not appear in the annex. However, Guterres expressed “grave concern” in the main report over allegations that Israeli security forces committed acts of sexual violence against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention center, and a military base.
In a letter sent Monday to Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, Guterres cautioned that Israel remains under close watch and could be added to next year’s annex. He noted that Israel’s refusal to allow UN inspectors access has hindered verification, but stressed there is “serious concern” about documented patterns of abuse.
The draft also names Hamas in the annex for the first time. The group was not blacklisted in last year’s report, as the UN cited a lack of sufficient evidence directly linking it to the alleged assaults and called for more investigation.
Hamas’s addition comes in the wake of newly released reports detailing systematic sexual violence during the October 7, 2023, massacre and against hostages held in captivity.
In his letter to Danon, Guterres outlined specific actions Israel must take to avoid being added to the blacklist. These include issuing clear orders prohibiting sexual violence, establishing enforcement and disciplinary mechanisms, investigating every credible allegation, obtaining personal commitments from commanders, and granting the UN unrestricted access for monitoring and humanitarian assistance.
Among the cases referenced by the UN — which include several reports of Palestinian male detainees being raped — is an alleged assault on a detainee during his transfer last year to the Sde Teiman facility. The site, set up after October 7, serves as an initial detention center for captured Hamas members and other suspected terrorists.
In June 2024, military police detained nine soldiers in connection with the incident on charges that included aggravated sodomy. Prosecutors later indicted five reserve soldiers for causing serious injury and assault under aggravated circumstances, but did not pursue the aggravated sodomy charge — equivalent to rape — that investigators had initially suspected.
A spokesperson for Danon told The Times of Israel that blacklisting could prompt sanctions or other punitive measures, noting that other listed parties, which include ISIS and al-Qaeda, have a years-long record of systematic sexual violence — a record they said was in no way comparable to Israel’s, making Guterres’s consideration “absurd” and “grave.”
