An Israeli court has ordered a temporary injunction blocking far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s plan to place crocodiles in moats surrounding prisons holding Palestinian prisoners, ruling that concerns over harm to the animals required further investigation.
Judge Abraham Rubin issued the ruling on Sunday, stating that “The claims regarding the expected harm to the crocodiles merit investigation and justify issuing an order prohibiting the transfer, or any action related to locating or preparing crocodiles for transfer.”
He ordered that the injunction remain in place pending a further ruling and gave Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, Ben Gvir and the Israel Prison Service (IPS) until Wednesday to respond.
The Jerusalem District Court issued the injunction hours after the animal rights group – Let the Animals Live – filed a petition against Silman, Ben Gvir and the IPS.
The petition centred on concerns about mistreatment of the animals and risks to prison staff, rather than the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
It challenged Silman’s reclassification of the Nile crocodile from a protected species to a “tended animal” in July 2025, which had cleared the way for their introduction to the prisons and called for the crocodiles to be redesignated as a protected species.
The petition argued that Silman had disregarded the opinions of legal advisers and the Nature and Parks Authority in making the reclassification.
Israeli authorities had reportedly already begun digging trenches around a section of Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert as part of the plan, which was spearheaded by Ben Gvir with backing from his National Security Ministry and the IPS and involved installing Nile crocodiles in the trenches.
Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry and the Nature and Parks Authority have long opposed the plan, arguing that the reclassification lacks scientific basis and warning that transferring the animals could endanger prison staff.
The scheme is the latest in a series of measures Ben Gvir has proposed to worsen detention conditions for Palestinian prisoners, including visitation bans, food deprivation, medical neglect, torture and solitary confinement.
Footage circulated online on Sunday showing the minister mocking a female Palestinian prisoner who complained about her detention.
Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups say more than 9,600 Palestinians are held in Israeli custody, including 84 women and 350 children, and are subjected to mistreatment amounting to systematic torture, including medical neglect, beatings and rape.
