Israel, Russia included in UN sexual violence blacklist

Key Points:

• The United Nations has added Israeli and Russian security forces to its conflict-related sexual violence blacklist for the first time, citing documented cases of abuse in occupied Palestinian territories and Ukraine.
• The report details severe sexual violence by Israeli forces against Palestinian detainees, including rape, physical violence to genitals, and forced nudity, while Russia was cited for 310 verified cases of sexual violence against prisoners in Ukraine.
• Israel condemned the report as "shameful and absurd," with its UN ambassador equating the blacklist inclusion to grouping Israel with terrorist organizations like Hamas and ISIS.
• Hamas remains on the blacklist following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, but many allegations against it could not be independently verified due to restricted UN access.
• Other countries listed for conflict-related sexual violence include Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria, and Mali, while Ukraine was not added despite documented cases involving its security forces.