The Hannibal Directive is a controversial Israeli military procedure designed to prevent the capture of its soldiers, even if it results in their deaths.
The recent admission by former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant that Israel deployed the Hannibal Directive on October 7, 2023, confirmed what Israel’s own media and others have been reporting over the past few months.
In his first interview since being fired last November, Gallant was asked by the Israeli Channel 12 whether the order was given to implement the policy on that day.
“I think tactically in some places it was, in other places it was not, and that is a problem,” he answered in the interview on Thursday.
Yoav Gallant admits the use of ‘#Hannibaldirective‘
“I think tactically in some places it was, in other places it was not, and that is a problem,” Former Israeli Defense Minister told Channel 12.
💢The Hannibal Directive allows the killing of Israeli soldiers and the shelling of… pic.twitter.com/4zaFyw6dcC— Brunella C. (@BrunellaCapitan) February 7, 2025
The Hannibal Directive is a controversial Israeli military procedure designed to prevent the capture of its soldiers, even if it results in their deaths.
Early Calls for Probe
As early as December 2023, the former Israeli Labor party leader Shelly Yachimovich called for an investigation into the Israeli army’s implementation of the ‘Hannibal Directive’ in Israeli towns surrounding the Gaza Strip on October 7, the Al Jazeera Arabic website reported.
Israeli Official Calls for Investigation into ‘Hannibal Directive’ Implementation
“There is a violent campaign to prevent any investigation/talk about the event from hell in which Brigadier General Hiram ordered a tank to fire and storm the house in Bari, knowingly killing 12 hostages, including children. Hannibal would be rolling over in his grave,” Yachimovich posted on X.
“The reasoning? Hiram is a “hero of Israel.” The heroes of Israel protect the children of Israel, they don’t kill them. Who am I to judge? Who is he to kill?” she added.
Instructions to Soldiers
In January 2024 the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported that the Israeli military implemented the Hannibal Directive, killing its own soldiers and civilians in order to prevent Hamas from taking them as captives.
An investigation by the Hebrew paper revealed that the Israeli army “instructed all of its fighting units in practice on the ‘Hannibal Procedure’, although without clearly mentioning this explicit name.”
What is Israel’s “Hannibal Directive”?
It’s a doctrine whereby the military prefers a soldier to be killed rather than taken hostage.
@AJIUnit finds evidence that this protocol was used on Israeli civilians on #October7.Watch the full investigation: https://t.co/HugkJ2DodW pic.twitter.com/OrBIyKPpsl
— Al Jazeera Investigations (@AJIunit) March 23, 2024
The order was to stop “at all costs any attempt by Hamas terrorists to return to Gaza, using language very similar to the original ‘Hannibal Procedure,’, despite repeated assurances by the security establishment that the procedure has been canceled,” the report said.
An Al Jazeera investigation in March last year also found “evidence that this protocol was used on Israeli civilians” on October 7.
‘No Vehicle’ to Return
In July 2024, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper revealed that the Israeli army ordered the activation of the Hannibal Directive on October 7.
An investigation by the newspaper confirmed that the Israeli army issued orders to ensure no vehicle was allowed to return to Gaza during the attack, despite the risk to the residents of the Gaza envelope.
Hannibal Procedure Activated – Israeli Army Ordered to Kill Civilians on October 7
“This was not the first order given by the division with the intent of foiling kidnapping even at the expense of the lives of the kidnapped, a procedure known in the army as the ‘Hannibal procedure’,” the paper reported.
Documents, Testimonies
The investigation was based on “documents obtained by Haaretz, as well as testimonies of soldiers, mid-level and senior IDF officers,” which “reveal a host of orders and procedures (…) showing how widespread this procedure was”.
Although the exact number of Israeli civilians killed due to the activation of the protocol could not be determined, the report indicated that “the cumulative data indicates that many of the kidnapped people were at risk, exposed to Israeli gunfire, even if they were not the target.”
Yoav Gallant admitted that the Hannibal Directive was implemented on October 7th, which allowed for the Israeli military to kill civilians to prevent them from being taken as hostages.
Never forget that the mainstream media in the US, UK, and EU thought you were stupid enough to… pic.twitter.com/GQoylFINKp
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) February 9, 2025
According to the newspaper, the protocol “was employed at three army facilities infiltrated by Hamas”.
It was also reported that an investigation by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) in March had already revealed that the Israeli army was aware of the presence of Israeli captives in the house it targeted with two tank shells in the Be’eri settlement on October 7.
Israeli Army Fire
At the time, KAN confirmed that Hamas fighters did not fire on the captives and that it was Israeli fire that killed the Israelis, along with 40 fighters.
BREAKING🚨 Former Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant has confirmed Israel activated the Hannibal Directive to kill its own citizens on Oct7 at the Nova Festival.
— Pelham (@Resist_05) February 8, 2025
The investigation came after Israeli Brigadier General Barak Hiram told The New York Times that he had authorized tank fire towards the building, “even at the cost of civilian casualties”.
However, according to Haaretz, the Israeli military has “refused to say whether this procedure was employed against civilians”.
‘Not a Good Decision’
In September 2024, an investigation by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) confirmed that the Israeli army implemented the policy on the day.
ABC reported that soon after October 7, “there were some testimonies from Israeli civilians and military personnel that Israeli forces responding to the Hamas attack killed their own citizens.”
‘Hannibal Directive’ – ABC Investigation Confirms Israeli Use of Controversial Procedure on Oct 7
The report noted how “many Israelis and supporters of Israel condemned anyone who suggested it had occurred, before more testimonies and Israeli media reports confirmed it was true.”
The investigation included testimony from Omri Shifroni, who survived an Israeli tank shelling on a house in the Be’eri settlement, located in the Gaza envelope.
“We know that at least one hostage was killed by one of the shells,” Shifroni was quoted as saying.
ABC reported that Shifroni, who lost three of his relatives on October 7, “remains upset about the Israeli military’s decision to use heavy munitions on homes in Be’eri.”
“I think it was not the right decision, not a good decision and not moral,” he was quoted as saying.
Bombs, Missiles
The Israel Hayom website revealed data “for the first time” last month stating that “during the fighting on October 7, the Air Force fired 11,000 shells, dropped more than 500 heavy one-ton bombs and launched 180 missiles.”
On October 7 last year the Electronic Intifada concluded in its investigation that at least “hundreds” were killed by Israel.
UN report states that “Israeli helicopters were present at the Nova site and may have shot at targets on the ground, including civilian vehicles.” It’s likely that the Israeli military may have used the Hannibal Directive at the festival on 7 October 2023, says @AsaWinstanley. pic.twitter.com/VIZe8qj7J3
— Electronic Intifada (@intifada) October 21, 2024
“Fire from Israeli helicopters, drones, tanks and even ground troops was deliberately undertaken in order to prevent Palestinian fighters from taking live Israeli captives who could be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners,” the report concluded.
The policy “was carried out right away: less than an hour after the Palestinian offensive began,” it noted.
The Gaza division received the order that “Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza,” the report added.
By midday on October 7, said the report, “an unambiguous order was given from the high command of the Israeli military (the so-called “Pit” headquarters, deep under Israel’s Hakirya building in downtown Tel Aviv) to invoke the Hannibal Directive throughout the entire region, “even if this means the endangerment or harming of the lives of civilians in the region, including the captives themselves.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
