UN Expected to Add Israel Prison Service to Sexual Violence Blacklist Alongside Hamas

The United Nations is set to announce the addition of the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to its annual “blacklist” of parties credibly suspected of committing patterns of conflict-related sexual violence, according to Israeli officials and reports.

The move comes in the UN Secretary-General’s 2026 report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. It places the IPS alongside Hamas, which was added in 2025 for its systematic sexual atrocities on October 7, 2023, and against hostages.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon condemned the designation as a “moral disgrace” and “complete collapse of any credibility left to the UN.”

“Anyone who is able to include Israel on the same list as Hamas terrorists and rapists has no sense of morality,” Danon said. Israel has provided full responses to all UN inquiries and offered evidence and access for inspections, which officials say were not adequately pursued.

In response, Israel will freeze cooperation with the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Background

The UN previously documented Hamas’s sexual crimes through its own investigation led by Special Representative Pramila Patten, citing reasonable grounds for rape, gang rape, and sexual violence on October 7, plus abuses against hostages.

For the Israeli side, the UN cited verified incidents involving Palestinian detainees, primarily based on detainee accounts in facilities like Naqab/Ketziot, Ofer, and Etzion. Israel rejects these claims as unfounded or politically motivated, stressing full transparency and compliance with international law.

The blacklist carries no immediate legal consequences but increases international pressure and scrutiny.

Israeli officials describe the equivalence as outrageous given the stark differences in the scale and intent of the documented October 7 atrocities versus contested allegations in a prison context.