A legal dispute has emerged in Israel over a controversial plan to build a moat filled with Nile crocodiles around Ketziot Prison, a facility in the Negev Desert housing thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

The plan was initially proposed late last year by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the country's prison system. The proposal aimed to deter prison breakouts by using crocodiles as a natural barrier. However, the plan remained largely unnoticed until recently when an animal welfare group launched a legal challenge.

On Sunday, August 6th, 2026, the Jerusalem District Court issued a temporary injunction preventing the Israel Prison Service (IPS) from deploying crocodiles to Ketziot Prison. The prison is located near the Egyptian border and holds many Palestinian detainees, including individuals linked to the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

Following the injunction, Minister Ben-Gvir accused the courts on social media of siding with terrorists. The idea drew comparisons to the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in Florida, United States, which is surrounded by wetlands inhabited by alligators. During a July 2025 visit to that facility, former U.S. President Donald Trump remarked there were "a lot of cops in the form of alligators" deterring escapes.

Photos from a crocodile farm surfaced, revealing the plan would apply to the existing 400,000 square meter Ketziot Prison. The prison has faced criticism for prisoner mistreatment and was notably where members of the intercepted Global Sumud Flotilla, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and several Australians, were detained before deportation.

Local sources described the crocodile plan as initially a joke and speculated it might be politically motivated ahead of upcoming elections in Israel. A representative from the crocodile farm clarified, "Our crocodiles don't have a security guard hat. We're a tourist farm," and denied the crocodiles were intended for security purposes.

Sources

ABC Australia News