UNIPA International Desk:Israel has announced the suspension of all communication with the office of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The decision was announced Thursday by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, through a video message.

Danon accused Guterres and his team of “spreading lies” against Israel and attempting to place the country on the same list as Hamas. He said such a comparison was “unacceptable.”

Later, Israel’s UN mission said in a post on X that Danon personally informed Guterres of the decision during a phone call, where he also accused the UN chief of conducting a “political campaign” against Israel.

The move follows reports that Israel is expected to be added to a UN blacklist related to conflict-related sexual violence. Although the annual UN report has not yet been officially released, the annex of the report traditionally includes parties accused of such violations.

Responding to the development, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general’s office remains open to Israeli representatives, as it is to all member and observer states.

In recent months, several international media outlets and human rights organizations have raised allegations of sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees by Israeli forces. A recent opinion article by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof alleged that Palestinian men and women faced rape, sexual violence, humiliation and abuse while in detention.

Kristof wrote that he interviewed 14 Palestinians who described incidents involving sexual assault, beatings targeting genitals and threats of rape during imprisonment. However, he noted that he found no evidence suggesting Israeli leaders directly ordered such acts.

The article also cited findings from organizations including Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Save the Children, B’Tselem and the Committee to Protect Journalists. A previous UN report had also accused Israeli authorities of carrying out “systematic sexualized abuse” against Palestinians.