An Israeli prison, which is currently housing Palestinian security prisoners, is set to receive a moat filled with crocodiles as a form of prisoner escape deterrent. The installation of the massive reptiles is the brain child of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.According to Israeli outlet Ynet News, the preparations have begun to dig a moat inside of the prison. "Digging the crocodile moat is underway inside the prison, around one of their special wings," a source from the Ramat Hanegev Regional Council has told the outlet.Ben Gvir's office confirmed reports about the plan, saying that "Whoever thought this was a gimmick was mistaken. The Prison Service is all set. The plan exists in the finest detail, from the maintenance and care of the crocodiles to the level of the crocodiles’ resting cells.”The Israeli government has gone as far as to begin reclassifying Nile crocodiles as "tended wild animals," which would allow them to be placed at the detention facility..The decision has garnered opposition from the Nature and Parks Authority, who say that the decision to put crocodiles in the prison has "no professional or scientific basis" and poses a threat to guards, prisoners, and the crocodiles themselves.In a statement to The Times of Israel, the Nature and Parks Authority says that introducing "a large, longevous, non-native predator into the ecosystem could create numerous and varied risks to both Israel’s natural environment and the public."Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman defended her decision and said that due to the prisons' overcrowding, additional security measures are needed."At the end of the day, we must remember that as a result of October 7, the number of security prisoners increased considerably, and there is a real need to reckon with means of deterrence," the minister said during a radio interview.The prison where the crocodiles are set to be installed first is called Ketziot Prison and is located in the desert along Isreal's southern border with Egypt.Ketziot Prison is Isreal's largest prison, covering an area of almost 100 acres.
