Israel Reclassifies Crocodiles to Clear Way for Ben-Gvir's Prison-Moat Plan

A regulatory change lets the prison service keep Nile crocodiles, removing a key obstacle to the far-right minister's scheme to ring detention facilities with the reptiles

Israel has moved a step closer to implementing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s plan to surround prisons holding Palestinian detainees with crocodile-filled moats, Israeli media reported on 19 July.

Following lobbying by Ben-Gvir, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman approved reclassifying Nile crocodiles from protected wildlife to “captive-bred” or “managed” wildlife — allowing state institutions and security agencies to keep the animals under regulated conditions. The change lets the Israel Prison Service (IPS) hold the reptiles under the oversight of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority; previously, classified as protected wild animals, they could only be kept in zoos.

The plan

Ben-Gvir, who oversees the prison system, has proposed placing crocodiles in waterways around prisons, ostensibly to deter escape attempts. The reclassification removes one of the main obstacles to the scheme, which he first unveiled months ago and which was inspired by the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility in South Florida. He publicised it in December alongside an AI-generated image of himself holding a crocodile on a leash.

Officials cited in the new report claimed the measure could strengthen prison security while cutting costs by reducing the number of guards needed on perimeters. It is reportedly to be implemented at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, where authorities are said to have begun studying the project’s feasibility, including visits to zoos to examine the handling and care the animals require.

A record of worsening conditions

Since taking office in December 2022, Ben-Gvir has pursued a series of measures making already harsh conditions for Palestinian detainees worse. Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations regularly document Israel’s use of torture, sexual violence, starvation, medical neglect, and physical abuse against Palestinian prisoners.

According to the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, around 9,600 Palestinians are currently held by Israel, including women and children. The Commission says 89 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody since the start of the war on Gaza in 2023, with dozens of other detainees from Gaza forcibly disappeared and their fate unknown.

In May, Haaretz reported that Ben-Gvir had been refusing to allow state inspectors and Israel Bar Association representatives into jails to observe conditions. He himself regularly visits the facilities to taunt detainees. Among the most notorious is Sde Teiman, where in 2024 a Palestinian detainee was assaulted by soldiers; the accused were briefly detained before the charges were dropped earlier this year.

In January, the Israeli rights group B’Tselem released a report, Living Hell, documenting systematic torture across facilities holding Palestinian detainees. Drawing on testimony from released prisoners, it detailed widespread abuse by guards, soldiers, and Shin Bet personnel, including sexual violence, severe beatings, starvation, electric shocks, and the denial of medical care. In March, the Knesset passed legislation, inspired by Ben-Gvir, to permit the execution of Palestinians imprisoned for carrying out armed attacks against the occupation.

Reference: The Cradle