The Israeli government has tried to raise crocodiles outside prisons holding members of militant organizations such as the Palestinian Islamic Resistance (Hamas) to intimidate prisoners who attempt to escape. According to several Israeli media reports on 3rd, the plan has been called off by Israeli courts.
In January 2026, Israeli prison officials visited a crocodile farm. Image source: Israeli Times
According to reports, the Jerusalem District Court issued a ban on August 2, requiring Israeli security authorities to suspend the implementation of the “crocodile-as-jailman” plan.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel‘s Minister of National Security Ben-Gevir had previously suggested raising crocodiles around the Kaziot prison located in southern Israel, and received responses from departments such as the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection. According to previous Israeli laws, wild animals including crocodiles can only be raised for educational and research purposes, and using crocodiles for prison security does not comply with regulations. In response, Israel‘s Minister of Environmental Protection Silman reclassified the locally bred Nile crocodiles as “farmable wild animals” and cleared legal barriers for their entry into prison. Subsequently, Israeli prison officials visited the crocodile farm, and Kaziot Prison began building trench facilities for breeding crocodiles and formulating detailed plans for crocodile breeding, for which the Israeli security department set a budget of $7 million.
According to the Israeli Times earlier, the Kaziot prison holds members of Hamas‘s “Nuhba” forces and militant organizations such as Hezbollah Lebanon. Supporters of “crocodiles as jailers” argue that as the number of prisoners increases, Israel needs some new means to intimidate them.
However, the Israeli Nature and Parks Administration and some environmental groups argue that there is no professional or scientific basis to prove that crocodiles are suitable as prison security measures, and warn that introducing large predators may pose risks. Recently, an animal protection organization filed a lawsuit in court in the name of “Protecting Crocodiles” to prevent the transfer of crocodiles to prison areas. Opponents, including the organization, say that keeping crocodiles in prisons is detrimental to their health, and if improperly managed allowing crocodiles to escape may damage the ecology and threaten the safety of nearby residents.