United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel on Tuesday that he has serious concerns about reports of sexual violence by its armed and security forces, according to a report seen by Reuters.
The alleged crimes included incidents of genital violence, prolonged forced nudity of captives, and abusive and degrading strip searches aimed at humiliation and interrogation.
In his annual report to the UN Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence, Guterres put Israel "on notice" that it could be listed next year among parties "credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence."
The warning resulted from "significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations," he wrote.
Because Israel has denied access to UN monitors, it has been “challenging to make a definitive determination” about patterns, trends and the systematic use of sexual violence by its forces, he said, urging Israel’s government “to take the necessary measures to ensure immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence, and make and implement specific time-bound commitments.”
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon claimed the concerns are “baseless accusations”.
"The UN must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages. Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law," Danon said in a statement.
In July 2024, the Israeli military announced it had detained and was interrogating nine soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman prison, a facility used to hold individuals arrested in Gaza.
At the time, Israeli media reported that a Palestinian prisoner was hospitalised with serious injuries following an alleged gang rape by military guards at the prison.
In the report, Guterres also expressed deep concern over credible reports of violations committed by Russian military, security forces, and allied armed groups, mainly targeting Ukrainian prisoners of war held in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention centers across Ukraine and Russia.
He noted that many documented cases involved genital violence, such as electrocution, beatings, burns, forced stripping, and prolonged nudity, all used to humiliate detainees and extract confessions or information.
