The global body, long accused of antisemitism, also put the Jewish state and Russia “on notice.”

By Menachem Wecker, JNS

With the second anniversary of the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7 looming, António Guterres, U.N. secretary-general, listed the terror organization for the first time in the annual “Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” which also put Israel and Russia “on notice.”

“Hamas was listed on the basis of information verified by the United Nations in 2024, indicating reasonable grounds to believe that some hostages taken to Gaza were subjected to different forms of sexual violence during their time in captivity,” the United Nations stated, “and clear and convincing information that sexual violence also occurred during the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, in at least six locations.”

Though the U.N. release states there is “reasonable” evidence of such violence against captives and “clear and convincing” evidence of such violence on Oct. 7, Guterres’s report states the reverse.

The secretary-general’s special representative found “clear and convincing information” in March 2024 about sexual violence against some hostages in Gaza, and “reasonable grounds” to think that such violence took place in the Oct. 7 attacks “in multiple locations, including rape and gang rape,” according to the report.

JNS sought comment from the United Nations about where it felt it had “reasonable” evidence and “clear and convincing” evidence.

The secretary-general’s report called recovered bodies of naked women “circumstantial” evidence.

“Several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered—mostly women—with hands tied, who had been shot multiple times, often in the head,” it stated. “Although circumstantial, such a pattern of undressing and restraining of victims may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence.”

The report added that “during the reporting period, Hamas did not grant humanitarian access to hostages.”

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, stated that the “inclusion of Hamas in the U.N. ‘blacklist’ for sexual crimes in conflict zones is an important step.”

“The entire world now sees Hamas for what it truly is: a terrorist organization committing the most heinous atrocities against women, men and children, crimes beyond imagination,” the Israeli envoy stated. “These sexual crimes are still being committed today against Israeli hostages in Gaza. Israel will continue to fight for justice, expose the truth and protect its citizens.”

The American Jewish Committee welcomed the U.N. report and stated that its “designation validates the substantial evidence that Hamas used rape and sexual violence systematically as part of a coordinated attack intended to dehumanize and destroy Israelis, both on Oct. 7, 2023, and against hostages thereafter.”

The designation is “a sharp rebuke of those who continue to deny these heinous atrocities,” the AJC said.

“In light of the secretary-general’s decision, AJC urges U.N. member states to directly condemn Hamas’s use of conflict-related sexual violence at the U.N. Security Council’s open debate on conflict-related sexual violence on Aug. 19,” it stated. “It is also incumbent on governments to take further action individually and through international institutions to ensure that victims of Hamas’s sexual violence, like all victims, receive the recognition, redress and justice they deserve.”

StandWithUs stated that, nearly two years after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, “and despite opposition from the U.N. secretary-general, the United Nations has finally added Hamas to its blacklist of organizations committing conflict-related sexual violence.”

“This long-overdue designation highlights the brutality of Hamas and the urgent need for the world to universally condemn their atrocities,” the group stated.

Guterres’s report also said that the United Nations verified “12 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli armed and security forces” against seven Palestinian men. It said that the violence included a rape, attempted rape and 10 incidents of attacking the genitals of prisoners.

“These detainees also reported forced public nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner,” the United Nations stated.

“I call for the immediate, unconditional and dignified release of all hostages, while ensuring their humane treatment and for humanitarian access to them pending their release,” Guterres stated.

“I also call for the restoration of the ceasefire and hostage release deal and its full implementation. I reiterate my call to the government of Israel to grant unfettered access to relevant United Nations bodies to carry out fully fledged investigations into all alleged violations, including conflict-related sexual violence,” he said.

The United Nations also put Israel and Russia “on notice” for the first time, “for potential listing in the next reporting period owing to significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations.”

The Dinah Project stated that while the global body put Israel on notice, it “remains confident that Israel is committed to upholding justice and accountability, taking all necessary measures to address any credible concerns in line with international norms.”

The project, which published a comprehensive account of Hamas’s sexual crimes, called on the United Nations, International Criminal Court and governments “to move from acknowledgment to action, bringing Hamas terrorists to justice under the full weight of international and domestic law.”

“This is a watershed moment in the global fight against conflict-related sexual violence,” stated Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, director of Bar-Ilan University’s center for the advancement of the status of women.

“It sends an unmistakable message,” she said. “The world sees these crimes, names them and will not allow them to be erased from history. Recognition is only the first step. The next must be swift prosecution and global condemnation of those responsible, ensuring these crimes are never again deployed as a weapon of war.”