TEHRAN – In a move that signals a descent into medieval-style barbarism, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has proposed a high-security prison for Palestinian detainees surrounded by a moat of crocodiles.

The Prison Service is currently examining the feasibility of this facility in the Hamat Gader area of the occupied Golan Heights, according to a Saturday report by Israel’s Channel 13.

While some officials reportedly ridiculed the idea, the serious consideration of using apex predators to deter escapes underscores a deepening culture of institutionalized cruelty.

This proposal is not an isolated eccentricity but the latest extension of what many describe as a systematic architecture of militarized repression.

Since Ben-Gvir took office in 2022, conditions for Palestinians have plummeted to lethal lows. According to Walla, deaths among detainees have reached unprecedented levels, driven by a policy of intentional starvation, reduced food rations, and the withholding of basic medical care.

The grim reality of Israeli detention was laid bare in mid-2024 when surveillance footage from the Sde Teiman facility—often termed “Israel’s Guantanamo”—leaked to the public.

The video captured the harrowing gang-rape and sexual assault of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers. Despite international outrage, the perpetrators were largely defended by Israeli political leaders, and any semblance of accountability remains nonexistent.

Survivors returning from these facilities resemble specters of their former selves, reporting a regime of systematic torture.

Accounts include “the disco”—a sensory torture method involving deafening music, prolonged shackling, and severe beatings resulting in shattered ribs and amputations.

International activists, including Greta Thunberg, have corroborated this pattern, reporting beatings and threats of gassing while in custody.