HRW: Ben-Gvir’s crocodile-filled moat plan ‘cartoonishly cruel’

Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's plan for a crocodile-filled moat to guard a facility holding Palestinian detainees is cartoonishly cruel, Human Rights Watch has said.

In a post on X, Sarah Sanbar, Acting Israel and Palestine Researcher, said: “Rather than investing millions in proposals “that amount to little more than performative cruelty”, the Israeli government should launch independent, transparent investigations into the documented allegations of torture and ill-treatment and prosecute those responsible, including at senior levels.”

Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's plan for a crocodile-filled moat to guard a facility holding Palestinian detainees is cartoonishly cruel.

Rather than investing millions in proposals that amount to little more than performative cruelty, the Israeli government should launch… pic.twitter.com/q1zgZ3I5fZ

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) July 24, 2026