A minister's controversial proposal to surround a prison with Nile crocodiles has been temporarily shelved.

Israel has advanced a controversial proposal to build detention facilities for Palestinian detainees surrounded by crocodile-filled moats, taking legal steps to implement the plan and stripping Nile crocodiles of their protected status.

Israel has reportedly modified regulations concerning Nile crocodiles to allow their use for security purposes, including deterring escape attempts from prisons.

Israel's Minister of Environmental Protection, Idit Silman, reclassified Nile crocodiles as 'captivity-bred fauna,' paving the way for their potential use in prisons.