Gaza Herald – Israel’s Prison Service reportedly began evaluating a highly unusual security project after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proposed constructing a new prison surrounded by crocodiles in the occupied Golan Heights. The suggestion, first reported by Israel’s Channel 13 on Saturday, envisaged bringing crocodiles to the site and installing a special enclosure to prevent prisoner escapes.
The plan reportedly sparked ridicule among some Israeli police officials, though authorities have not dismissed the concept and have begun studying its feasibility. The prison would serve as a maximum-security facility, reflecting Ben-Gvir’s longstanding push for harsher measures against Palestinian detainees.
Rights groups and Israeli media note that fatalities among Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have surged to unprecedented levels since Ben-Gvir assumed office in 2022, amid increasingly harsh conditions, including restricted visits, reduced food, and limited hygiene opportunities.
Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party have also championed a controversial bill proposing the death penalty for Palestinians deemed responsible for Israeli deaths under what the legislation defines as racially or politically motivated acts. The Knesset passed the measure in its first reading in November 2025.
Human rights organizations warned that proposals such as the crocodile-enclosed prison highlight a broader trend of punitive policies targeting Palestinian prisoners, further inflaming tensions and raising international concern over Israel’s treatment of detainees in the occupied territories.
