Israel Wants To Surround Hamas Prisoners With One Of The World’s Most Dangerous Reptiles

Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman reclassified crocodiles from wild animals to “cultivated wild animals,” opening the door for them to be used to guard the country’s prisons holding Hamas operatives.

The regulation implemented Wednesday allowed crocodiles to be bred by government officials as long as they are held “in conditions determined by the [Nature and Parks Authority] director, to prevent their interference with nature,” the Times of Israel reported.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who pitched the idea last year, celebrated the change online. 

“Ministers Ben-Gvir and Silman are collaborating and surrounding the prisons with crocodiles!” Ben-Gvir posted on Facebook Thursday, adding an AI-generated image of himself with a pet crocodile and the caption, “You filthy terrorist, thinking about making a run for it? Think twice.” 

Ben-Gvir and Silman have taken inspiration from Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz” that used the Everglades’s natural alligator population to deter its inmates from escaping, according to NewsNation.

Ben-Gvir hopes that Nile crocodiles will be placed at Ketziot Prison, which hosts many prisoners from Hamas.

Nile crocodiles are one of the most dangerous animals in the world. SeaWorld notes that Nile crocodiles can grow up to 20 feet long — half the length of a typical school bus — and can weigh over 1,500 pounds.

Not only do Nile crocodiles prey on hippos, zebras, or wildebeest, and they are one of the only known reptile species to actively hunt humans.

Neta Drori, the Environmental Protection Ministry’s legal adviser, wrote to Silman in June that there is no known precedent of using crocodiles to protect prisons, and noted that crocodile breeding in the past has led to the animals escaping and terrorizing local populations.

“With regard to the use in the United States, it was noted that this was a short-lived trial that was discontinued. It apparently took place in an area where crocodiles already occur in the wild, and there is therefore no basis for comparison,” Drori wrote.

“Although Prison Service officials said they are aware of and prepared to ensure the animals’ physical welfare, among other things based on their experience with dogs, the organization apparently has no expertise in raising dangerous wild animals such as crocodiles,” Drori added.

Drori concluded that despite the reclassification of the crocodile, Israeli law requires legislative approval of the decision to add crocodiles to the country’s prisons.

Silman has rejected Drori’s opinion, citing testimony from senior officials that the bureaucratic framework allows her and Ben-Gvir to implement the crocodile plan.

The Nature and Parks Authority is expected to meet soon and discuss the legality of Silman and Ben-Gvir’s plan. 

“The minister is acting contrary to her own legal adviser, contrary to the legal opinion of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, contrary to the authority’s plenum, and contrary to the law. In other words, there is no legal basis for this,” an official told the Jerusalem Post.