UNITED NATIONS chief Antonio Guterres has warned Israel and Russia that their armed forces and security personnel could be listed among parties “credibly suspected” of committing sexual violence in war zones.

It follows “significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the UN,” the secretary-general said.

In his annual report to the UN security council on conflict-related sexual violence, Mr Guterres suggested Israel and Russia could be listed next year as being “credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence.”

In his warning to Israel, he said he was “gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces” against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention centre and a military base.

“Cases documented by the United Nations indicate patterns of sexual violence such as genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner,” he wrote.

Israel has denied access by UN monitors, making it “challenging to make a definitive determination” about patterns and trends.

He urged Israel to investigate credible allegations, issue clear orders and codes of conduct prohibiting sexual violence and grant unimpeded access for UN monitors.

On Russia, Mr Guterres cited “credible information” of violations against Ukrainian prisoners of war in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention facilities in Ukraine and Russia, including genital electrocution, beatings, burns, forced stripping and prolonged nudity.

Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon dismissed the concerns as “baseless accusations.”

The use of sexual violence as a weapon of war has been documented in conflicts from Bosnia to Rwanda and is a serious breach of the Geneva Conventions. When systematic, it is a a crime against humanity.