Israeli authorities have begun work on a controversial pilot project at Ketziot Prison in the Naqab desert involving water-filled trenches designed to hold crocodiles around sections housing Palestinian prisoners.
The project, which began on Wednesday, is part of what Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has promoted as a “crocodile prison”.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Ministry of National Security confirmed that the trial had begun in one section of the prison, stressing that Ben-Gvir’s insistence on placing crocodiles at the facility “is not propaganda”.
The work began after Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman gave the project legal approval last week.
Silman amended the legal classification of crocodiles from “wild animals” to “farmed wild animals”, allowing them to be transferred to the prison perimeter despite objections from professional officials within her ministry.
Israel’s Channel 13 previously reported that Ben-Gvir first proposed the idea during a meeting in December with Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi.
He suggested creating a security prison surrounded by crocodiles to prevent escape attempts.
The proposal was initially met with ridicule from several senior prison officials. However, the Israel Prison Service later began examining whether it could be implemented, and the project was eventually directed towards Ketziot Prison following the legal amendment.
Legal Objections
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Silman’s decision to classify the Nile crocodile as a “domesticated wild animal” contradicted both the opinion of her ministry’s legal adviser and the professional position of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
The authority said that “keeping these wild animals is legally permitted only for educational, research or public awareness purposes”.
Project Specifications
According to an Israeli official cited by Yedioth Ahronoth, the trench will extend for 170 metres.
The newspaper said it cannot be seen from outside the prison, although the source did not clarify whether crocodiles would ultimately be placed inside it.
The Israel Prison Service has reportedly prepared a detailed plan covering the care, guarding and housing of the crocodiles, including designated resting areas.
Prison guards and workers have also received specialised training on securing the site and handling the animals.
Yedioth Ahronoth said the Ministry of National Security allocated 21 million shekels, equivalent to around US$6.3 million, to build the trenches.
The Prison Service claimed the project would “reduce the burden on guards responsible for monitoring Palestinian detainees”.
A Notorious Prison
Ketziot Prison, located in the Naqab desert, is Israel’s largest prison by area and contains sections specifically used to hold Palestinian detainees.
For years, it has been used to imprison and torture Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
Since 7 October 2023, the Israeli occupation army has detained hundreds of Palestinians accused of belonging to the Nukhba unit of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
Israel intends to prosecute them before special courts.
Ben-Gvir has previously released footage from the section holding these Palestinian prisoners at Ketziot, exposing severe detention conditions.
The footage showed detainees being prevented from leaving the wing, deprived of blankets and adequate food, and forced to sleep on metal sheets.
The Israeli national anthem was also repeatedly broadcast over loudspeakers, while images of the destruction in Gaza were hung on the prison walls as an additional form of humiliation and psychological abuse, according to Anadolu Agency.
The crocodile project has generated legal and environmental controversy inside Israel since it was announced.
Experts and officials have warned that there is no proper legal or professional basis for using crocodiles to secure prisons.
