New York, May 29 (SANA) United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has included Israeli occupation forces on the UN list of “parties credibly suspected of committing patterns of rape and other forms of conflict-related sexual violence,” in his annual report covering the period between January and December 2025.
31 documented victims among men, women and children
According to the report, cited by the Palestinian news agency WAFA on Friday, verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence affected 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. Thirteen cases were documented during 2025, while 18 others dated back to 2023 and 2024.
Documented violations included rape with objects, gang rape, physical violence, deliberate shootings, strip searches, forced nudity and threats of rape. The report noted that some violations were photographed or recorded on video, including one rape case.
Multiple Israeli bodies accused
The report attributed responsibility to members of the Israeli occupation forces and the Israel Prison Service, including the special “Keter” unit and the Israeli police’s “Yamam” unit.
It stated that the violations occurred at several detention facilities, including Sde Teiman camp, Etzion detention center and al-Majnouna camp, as well as Megiddo, Ofer, Ramla, Hasharon, Shatta, Nafha and Damon prisons, and the Gush Etzion police station. The report also documented violations at checkpoints and during military operations, noting that journalists and human rights defenders were among the victims.
Dropped charges deepen impunity concerns
The report referred to the case of five Israeli reserve soldiers from “Unit 100” who were indicted in February 2025 over a severe assault at Sde Teiman camp. It noted, however, that “all charges were dropped in March 2026” despite the existence of video footage and medical reports, warning that such developments “could reinforce a climate of impunity and enable further acts of sexual violence.”
It added that reporting such violations faced serious obstacles, including direct threats allegedly made by Israeli security agencies to silence detainees.
Guterres calls for immediate halt
The UN Secretary-General called on Israeli occupation authorities to immediately cease all acts of sexual violence, allow unrestricted access for UN investigators, ensure Palestinian detainees are treated with dignity and prosecute those responsible for the violations.
The report stressed that Israel has not yet provided information demonstrating compliance with measures required under UN Security Council Resolution 2467, nor granted UN bodies access for monitoring and investigations, while more than 9,000 Palestinians remain imprisoned or detained, including over 4,000 held without charge or trial.
The report comes after UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Jill Edwards condemned on May 20 the grave violations and systematic torture committed by Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian prisoners in detention facilities.
M.Q.R
