Israeli army ordered ‘Hannibal Directive’ on Oct. 7, Haaretz reports
The Israeli military ordered the “Hannibal Directive” on 7 October, according to a report in the Israeli media on Sunday.
The “Hannibal Directive” is a military protocol where Israeli soldiers would kill captives and their captors to stop enemies from being able to use Israeli citizens as bargaining chips.
The directive dates back to the 1980s but was revised after Hamas members abducted a soldier in 2006. While it officially does not allow soldiers to kill captives intentionally, it has been used and interpreted it in this way by Israel on multiple occasions.
Haaretz obtained documents and testimonies from soldiers and mid-level and senior army officials revealing orders and procedures by the army’s Gaza Division, showing the procedure was widespread “from the first hours following the [7 October] attack and at various points along the border”.
A “very senior” army source confirmed to Haaretz that the procedure was used on 7 October. The division was given the order by Israeli command that “not a single vehicle can return to Gaza”, which the army understood as a green light to implement the directive. [Continue reading…]