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Israel Strips Crocodiles of Protected Status to Pave Way for Crocodile-Infested Moat

HeadlineJul 20, 2026

Israel has revoked the protected status of Nile crocodiles to pave the way for a new prison modeled after the Trump administration’s “Alligator Alcatraz” ICE jail in the Florida Everglades. The proposal by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir would see Palestinians held in a prison surrounded by a crocodile-infested moat. Israeli researcher and political commentator Shaiel Ben-Ephraim said on X, “The fact that Israel is trying to surround a prison with [crocodiles] tells you all you need to know about these camps, which are designed to torture, rape, and murder Palestinians, often held as hostages without charges.”

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