Israel to Deploy Crocodiles for Prison Security, Minister Says

Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has proposed deploying live crocodiles to guard prisons holding Palestinian detainees, a plan that can now proceed following a regulatory change by the Environmental Protection Ministry. The ministry, led by Idit Silman, reclassified crocodiles from wild animals to ‘captive-bred wildlife,’ allowing them to be used for security purposes.

Ben-Gvir, a far-right minister, celebrated the decision on social media by posting an AI-generated image of himself holding a crocodile on a leash, with the caption: ‘You intend to try to escape? Think again.’ The minister reportedly intends to station the crocodiles around Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, which houses many Hamas militants captured after the 7 October 2023 attack that triggered the war in Gaza.

The reclassification transfers oversight of the reptiles from nature authorities to a ‘security body,’ a category that includes the Israel Prison Service, which is managed by Ben-Gvir. The new regulation stipulates that Nile crocodiles may be bred provided they are kept by a security body under conditions set to prevent their escape into the wild. Israeli media reported that Ben-Gvir’s initial proposal, first floated last December, was met with mockery by some officials within the prison service before the environmental ministry’s decision paved the way for its implementation.