United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has notified Israel’s Defence Attache in the United States, Major General Hidai Zilberman, of his decision to add Israel to the blacklist of countries and organisations harming children in conflict zones.

A report by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that despite extensive efforts by Israel to persuade Guterres to avoid this move, Tel Aviv will be listed in the report distributed to UN Security Council members next week, with a discussion scheduled for 26 June.

The report is based on data from UN organisations and field sources. Being blacklisted could significantly damage Israel’s reputation, as the report will be cited across various UN bodies, including the General Assembly, Security Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The blacklist also includes Afghanistan, Congo, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and groups such as Al-Qaeda, Daesh, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram. The upcoming report will refer to Israeli security forces without explicitly naming Israel or its military.