Israel conducted widespread casualties among its own population under the ‘Hannibal Directive’
An internal investigation into the Israeli army's operations during the October 7, 2023, event known as Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, conducted by Hamas and associated groups, has confirmed the use of a contentious policy referred to as the "Hannibal Protocol." This directive allegedly resulted in the deaths of Israeli citizens, raising significant controversy and criticism.
In 1986, following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah in Lebanon, a directive was established instructing Israeli forces to open fire on themselves if taken captive. This controversial policy was predicated on the notion that a deceased soldier was a preferable outcome to a live hostage.
The Hannibal Directive permits the use of lethal force against Israeli soldiers and settlers to prevent their capture by opposition forces, including Palestinian resistance fighters.
The directive, officially repealed in 2016, appears to have been reinstated by the Tel Aviv administration, according to reports from several Israeli media sources. These reports suggest that the behavior and statements of Israeli forces during the Palestinian resistance movements’ special operation on October 7, 2023, indicate a reactivation of the previous directive.
The Israeli military issued a report on Thursday revealing that the air force commenced operations at approximately 10:30 a.m., targeting any movement detected near the Gaza border.
Israeli pilots executed Operation “Sword of Damocles,” a mission aimed at targeting Hamas positions within the Gaza Strip.
The regime’s air force conducted a staggering 945 aerial assaults on the Gaza Strip, as helicopters launched approximately 11,000 shells, official sources report.
An investigation has revealed that refusals by military commanders to acknowledge mistreatment, coupled with significant disarray at Israeli military headquarters, were key factors in the sluggish reaction from Tel Aviv to the audacious assault by Hamas.
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, several Israeli military sources have indicated that Gaza Division chief Brigadier-General Avi Rosenfeld may still not acknowledge that his forces were entirely overcome by Hamas. Furthermore, these sources suggest that he is unlikely to concede that the defeat happened prior to 7 a.m. on October 7.
According to reports, Israeli military commanders continued to depend on Rosenfeld for updates on the situation in the Gaza Strip, even hours following the defeat of his forces.
“According to the report, not a single superior anticipated such a swift and complete defeat for Rosenfeld. It wasn’t until Rosenfeld made a call to Air Force Commander Omer Tishler at 9:47 a.m. that he recognized the severity of his situation.”
The report disclosed that the regime’s air force did not commence widespread aerial operations over the Israel-Gaza border until approximately 10:05 a.m. The implementation of the ‘Hannibal Directive’ was subsequently initiated at around 10:30 a.m.
The report indicated that by the time military commanders had achieved an 85 percent awareness of the incidents unfolding in southern Israel, the majority of Palestinian militants had already retreated to Gaza, bringing captives with them.
Reports indicate that several of the 251 Israeli hostages were subsequently killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes and incidents of friendly fire.
The report further highlighted that Tel Aviv “significantly underestimated” Hamas’s capabilities, assuming the Palestinian group was not seeking an extensive conflict with Israel, despite possessing intelligence suggesting otherwise.
The recent report emerges only weeks following an admission by former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who confirmed his directive for the military to employ the Hannibal Directive, resulting in the deaths of Israeli civilians and soldiers amid Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
An internal investigation conducted by the Israeli military into the events of October 7 has recognized a “total failure” on the part of the armed forces to avert the incident.
“An official has raised concerns about the absence of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the tragic loss of numerous civilian lives, as questions lingered both internally and publicly regarding their whereabouts and response on that critical day,” the statement read.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported that the implementation of the Hannibal Directive effectively transformed the southern region of the occupied territories into what has been described as an “extermination zone.”
According to a report by Haaretz, it has been alleged that the regime’s military was instructed to execute both soldiers and civilians to prevent their capture by Palestinian resistance fighters. This directive followed the initiation of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023, by Palestinian groups, in response to previous acts of aggression by Zionist forces.
According to a report by Haaretz, documents and testimonies from high-ranking and mid-level personnel within the Israeli military disclose a sequence of directives given to the Gaza Division, Southern Command, and the General Staff up until the afternoon of October 7. These details uncover the significant application of the Hannibal protocol during the initial stages of the Hamas offensive and at several locations in the vicinity.
According to reports from *Haaretz*, on October 7, as resistance groups, including Hamas, commenced their offensive from Gaza, Israeli forces engaged in intense crossfire directed at their own military installations and settlements. Utilizing heavy artillery from attack helicopters, drones, and tanks, the objective was to neutralize the Hamas combatants infiltrating from Gaza, despite the significant risk to Israeli lives.
In a recent report, the newspaper highlighted that, contrary to Israel’s strategic intentions, Hamas successfully seized hostages amid the operation. It further asserted that a significant number of the 1,200 Israeli casualties on that day were attributed to actions by Israeli forces.
