The Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently reported on Israel’s military use of the so-called “Hannibal Directive” during the Hamas-led attack in early October. This directive is an operational order developed in 1986 that “directs the use of force to prevent soldiers being taken into captivity” by enemy militants, even at the risk of endangering civilians and army captives.
According to documents and interviews with soldiers and senior Israeli officers, Hannibal was employed at three army facilities infiltrated by Hamas during the attack. In the early stages of the attack, Israeli soldiers were ordered: “Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.” The IDF was not fully aware of the extent of kidnapping along the Gaza border but knew that many people were involved, making it clear what the message meant and the potential fate of some of the kidnapped individuals.
The full text of the Hannibal Directive has never been published; however, a Haaretz story from more than two decades ago reveals part of it, stating that during an abduction, “the major mission is to rescue our soldiers from the abductors even at the price of harming or wounding our soldiers.” The directive calls for light-arms fire and single-shot (sniper) fire to stop the vehicle and prevent it from escaping.
Israeli authorities have acknowledged “multiple incidents of our forces firing on our forces” on October 7, with one hostage taken by Hamas likely killed by Israeli helicopter fire in April. The IDF has not confirmed whether Hannibal was used during the Hamas-led attack but has declined to comment on its potential use.
Haaretz emphasizes that it does not know how many civilians and soldiers were hit due to these procedures; however, the cumulative data suggests that many of the kidnapped individuals were at risk, exposed to Israeli gunfire even if they were not the target. The first known use of the Hannibal Directive on October 7 came when an observation post at the Yiftah outpost reported a kidnapping incident at the Erez border crossing adjacent to the IDF’s liaison office.
The directive was employed at least two additional times during the attack, with Israeli forces instructed to “turn the area around the border fence into a killing zone, closing it off toward the west.” Haaretz’s reporting comes weeks after a United Nations investigation concluded that the IDF had likely applied the Hannibal Directive on October 7, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen Israeli civilians.
