UN Adds Israeli Entity to Black List of States Committing Sexual Violence

Return of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel. (Source: Mohammad Abu Zaid/WAFA)

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) has added an Israeli entity to the blacklist of countries committing sexual violence in conflict zones, a list that includes Hamas and other groups.

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) will be included in the list in 2026, along with other Israeli authorities that have entered the monitoring framework for possible inclusion in the future, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing (28/5).

A country or armed group remains on the UN Secretary-General's list for a minimum of one year. The militant group Hamas was added in August 2025.

This development follows a report from the representative of the UN Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, which establishes that there are reasonable grounds for Hamas to commit acts of rape and sexual violence during the October 7 massacre and during the hostage-taking in Gaza.

Israel claims that after the inclusion of Hamas, great pressure was put on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to include Israel in the list as well.

Quoted from WAFA, human rights organizations and media have documented hundreds of testimonies from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and inside Israeli prisons, detailing the torture and sexual harassment of Palestinians during arrest, interrogation, and detention.

The Israeli army and prison guards have been facing allegations of various violations against Palestinian prisoners since October 2023, including rape, torture, starvation and degrading treatment, Middle East Eye reported.

At least 100 prisoners are reported to have died in custody under these conditions, with almost half dying in military custody and the rest in facilities run by the IPS.

Dozens of testimonies from released detainees have detailed alleged ill-treatment in Israeli custody.

In December, two Palestinians held in different Israeli jails told Middle East Eye they had suffered brutal sexual assaults.

One of the detainees said he was dragged into a room where, for almost an hour, he was kicked, stomped on, insulted, and raped with objects while his eyes were covered.

Others said she was raped by a trained military dog.

Last year, a UN investigation accused Israel of using torture and sexualized rape as "a method of war to destabilize, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people".

Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem described the Israeli prison system as a "network of torture camps" where prisoners are subjected to "repeated sexual violence" including "gang rape and assault by a group of guards."