Sexual Violence as a Tool of Domination and Displacement in Palestine

In May 2026, the UN added Israel to its blacklist of governments committing sexual violence in conflict zones, citing 31 verified cases between 2023 and 2025. Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative, presented evidence from the IDF, Israel Prison Service, and Yamam, detailing incidents like rape, forced nudity, and threats of rape, which she described as "part of a pattern of sexual violence against Palestinians, including as a form of torture." Israel, through its UN representative Danny Danon, rejected the report as "disconnected from facts and from reality" and accused the UN of targeting Israel. The article notes that allegations of sexual violence against Palestinians predate October 2023, with historical accounts from the 1948 Nakba and persistent reports from Israeli detention centers, including a 2024 incident at Sde Teiman. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry further documented a "deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence" since October 7, 2023, concluding it is used "as a strategy of war for Israel to dominate and destroy the Palestinian people."