Israeli minister proposes keeping Palestinian detainees in facility ’surrounded by crocodiles’

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has proposed establishing a "detention facility surrounded by crocodiles" to hold Palestinian prisoners, local media reported on Sunday.

"The Israel Prison Service is examining an unusual proposal put forward by the National Security Minister (Itamar Ben-Gvir), which calls for setting up a detention facility for security prisoners surrounded by crocodiles in order to prevent escape attempts," Channel 13 said.

According to the channel, Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Jewish Power Party, presented his proposal during a situation assessment meeting he held last week with Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi.

It noted that the proposed site is located near the Hamat Gader area in northern Israel, near the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the border with Jordan, and includes a crocodile farm and a zoo.

The proposal came as the Israeli Knesset is expected to vote in the coming days on a bill proposed by Ben-Gvir to execute Palestinian prisoners accused by Israel of planning or taking part in attacks against it.

The Knesset Plenum, the supreme authoritative body of the parliament, approved the bill in its first reading on Nov. 11. It must pass the second and third readings to become law.

Israel currently holds more than 9,300 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, amid reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect that have claimed the lives of many, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports.

Violations against Palestinian prisoners have escalated during Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 70,900 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 171,200 others since October 2023 in a brutal assault that also left the enclave in ruins.