The Hamas Movement has firmly rejected and condemned the latest report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, issued on August 14, 2025, which placed the Palestinian resistance movement on a so-called “blacklist” of perpetrators of sexual crimes in armed conflict.

In a strongly worded statement released Friday evening, Hamas dismissed the move as “legally invalid, factually baseless, and politically motivated,” stressing that the report relied entirely on fabricated Israeli narratives rather than impartial investigations. The Movement warned that such politicized actions seriously damage the credibility of the international system and turn UN mechanisms into tools of occupation propaganda.

Hamas emphasized that its inclusion on the blacklist has no legal foundation, pointing out that no independent or impartial field investigations were conducted, nor were internationally recognized evidentiary standards applied. Instead, the UN Secretary-General’s report adopted Israeli claims without verification, consultation with alleged victims, or adherence to UN-mandated professional standards.

The Movement contrasted this with the glaring omission of Israeli occupation forces, despite a wealth of documented evidence—including findings from UN fact-finding missions, international human rights organizations, and UN special rapporteurs—proving that Israeli forces have systematically committed sexual violence, including rape, against Palestinian civilians. Hamas underscored that such crimes form part of Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and its widespread violations of Palestinian prisoners in detention camps.

“By absolving the occupation of accountability while targeting the resistance, the UN has entrenched a dangerous double standard that undermines the very principle of equality before international law,” Hamas declared. “This is not only a betrayal of truth and justice but also an attempt to whitewash the atrocities of the Zionist enemy.”

Citing UN Security Council Resolutions 1820 (2008) and 2467 (2019), which mandate impartial field investigations into allegations of sexual violence in conflict, Hamas asserted that the Secretary-General’s report flagrantly violated these international standards. The Movement called on the UN to immediately revoke the unjust decision and remove its name from official records.

Hamas further urged the establishment of an independent international investigation, under the supervision of credible experts, into all allegations of sexual violence linked to the conflict. It also demanded accountability for Israeli leaders and military commanders for their documented crimes of rape and sexual assault against Palestinians, urging their prosecution before the International Criminal Court.

The statement concluded with a warning that politicizing international justice and applying double standards embolden real perpetrators—chief among them the Israeli occupation—to continue committing crimes with impunity, further intensifying the suffering of oppressed peoples under occupation. (ILKHA)