UN Secretary-General António Guterres has formally warned Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, that Israel risks being listed in the upcoming UN annual report on sexual violence, following mounting evidence of abuse against Palestinians. Reports cite credible information of sexual assaults carried out by Israeli personnel in prisons and military detention centres, raising grave concerns about systematic violations.

According to Israel Today, Guterres stressed that Israel’s refusal to allow UN inspectors access to detention facilities obstructs efforts to verify the scale of the abuse. Despite this, he noted that documented evidence already points to recurring patterns of sexual violence and degrading treatment, particularly against detainees from Gaza.

The UN chief urged Israel to take immediate action by issuing clear directives condemning such crimes, ensuring accountability for those in command, and granting international monitors unfettered access. Whether Israel complies will determine if it is named in the 2025 report; an unprecedented step that would place its treatment of Palestinian detainees under global scrutiny.