By Pesach Benson • May 28, 2026
Jerusalem, 28 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon announced Thursday that Israel is freezing cooperation with the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, following reports that Israel has been added to a UN list concerning conflict-related sexual violence.
“The UN has added Israel to the blacklist of sexual violence in conflict zones, alongside the world’s most brutal terrorist organizations—Hamas and ISIS,” Danon wrote on X, calling the move “a political decision” and “disconnected from the facts and reality.”
He added: “Israel submitted evidence, documents, and detailed responses to every claim. We invited UN representatives to come to the field and examine things up close, and they, of course, chose not to do so.”
“When facts don’t fit the narrative, at the UN they simply change the narrative,” he added, accusing the organization of political bias.
In a video message accompanying the tweet, Danon said: “We are done with this UN Secretary-General. Guterres has placed Israel on the same blacklist as Hamas, Islamic State and the most brutal terrorist organizations in the world. This is a moral disgrace that proves the UN has lost all credibility.”
Danon was referring to the Secretary-General’s annual Report On Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, which includes an annex listing “parties credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of sexual violence in conflict.”
Although the report is not legally binding, it is widely read by governments, UN bodies, NGOs, and the media as an authoritative UN assessment.
The Israeli decision to freeze cooperation comes amid weeks of diplomatic efforts to block the designation. Israeli officials have strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as a “blood libel” and politically motivated.
Danon also referenced a Civil Commission report on Hamas’ crimes during the October 7, 2023 attack, which documented sexual violence against victims from 52 nationalities. The report, released in May, was shared with several UN bodies.
The Civil Commission’s 300-page report was based on more than two years of investigation and included testimony from more than 430 survivors, witnesses, former hostages, first responders, forensic experts, and families of victims. The commission also compiled an archive of more than 10,000 photographs and video clips, alongside approximately 1,800 hours of footage.
Earlier UN reporting has included Hamas on its list of parties “credibly suspected” of sexual violence in conflict. In August, Hamas was added to the list for the first time, following findings by UN Special Representative Pramila Patten.
Terrorists caught by Israeli Forces have admitted to interrogators that they raped and abused Israeli women and men.
Legal scholars in July presented the first comprehensive legal framework for prosecuting Hamas terrorists for the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war during the October 7 attack.
Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7.
Guterres is due to step down as Secretary-General at the end of 2026.
