Hannibal Directive: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

Some commentators have argued that the Hannibal directive, previously understood to generally apply to situations involving IDF soldiers, enemy combatants and possibly non-Israeli civilians (with the goal of avoiding a repetition of the [[Jibril Agreement|Ahmad Jibril]], [[Samir Kuntar]] and [[Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange|Gilad Shalit]] prisoner exhanges thought as unfavorable for Israel), but not to Israeli civilians, was implemented by the IDF on a mass scale on 7 October 2023 when the IDF fired on Israeli civilian hostages while they were being driven by Hamas militants into Gaza. This would be the first time in the history of the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]] that a Palestinian kidnapping operation and subsequent IDF Hannibal reaction included Israeli civilians.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/11/3/whats-the-hannibal-directive-a-former-israeli-soldier-tells-all | title=What's Israel's Hannibal Directive? A former Israeli soldier tells all }}</ref>

====Intitial claims====

On 5 December 2023, Israeli [[2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis|hostages]] released by Hamas met with [[Benjamin Netanyahu]]'s [[Israeli war cabinet|war cabinet]] and claimed that, during the 7 October [[Operation Al-Aqsa Flood|Hamas attack on Israel]] they were deliberately attacked by Israeli helicopters on their way into Gaza, and were shelled constantly by the Israeli military while they were there.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hkp00rchsp | title="הפגיזו לידנו, בעלי הרביץ לעצמו": עדויות החטופות בפגישה עם הקבינט | newspaper=Ynet | date=5 December 2023 | last1=אייכנר | first1=איתמר | last2=צ'כנובר | first2=יעל }}</ref>

In an interview with Israel's ''[[Haaretz]]'' weekly Hebrew pod, Lieut. Col. Nof Erez explained that the IDF was more or less wiped out on the ground on the Gaza border. There was no one that helicopter or drone pilots could communicate with. This made the identification of persons on the ground very difficult. According to Erez, "the Hannibal [Protocol], for which we have been conducting drills over the past 20 years, relates to the case a single vehicle containing hostages: you know which part of the fence it comes through, what side of the road it would move to and even which road... What we saw here was a "mass Hannibal". There were many openings in the fence. Thousands of people in many different vehicles, both with hostages and without hostages".<ref name="Haaretz231109Ere7">{{Cite news|last= |first= |title= הסקרים לא מתפרסמים אבל הכיוון ברור - רוב בציבור אומר לנתניהו "לך" |url= https://www.haaretz.co.il/digital/podcast/weekly/2023-11-09/ty-article-podcast/0000018b-b3a5-d3c1-a39b-bfe55acb0000 |date= 2023-11-09 |access-date= 2023-12-14|work= Haaretz.co.il weekly podcast|language=he }}</ref><ref name="MEEYTErez">{{Cite news|last= |first= |title= Israeli colonel says Hannibal Directive was possibly deployed on 7 October |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkjRqAJYDUg |date= 2023-11-21 |access-date= |work= Middle East Eye |language= he, en }}</ref>

The Israeli broadcaster [[Channel 12 (Israel)|Channel 12]] reported on 16 December that IDF forces had shot at a tractor carrying hostages to Gaza, killing one hostage and injuring others.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Steinman |first=Tamir |date=2023-12-16 |title=י 49 ימים בגיהנום {{!}} דורון כץ-אשר, ששוחררה משבי חמאס עם שתי בנותיה, על רגעי האימה והניתוח שעברה ללא הרדמה |trans-title=49 days in hell – Doron Katz-Asher, who was released from captivity with her two daughters, about the moments of horror and the surgery she underwent without anesthesia |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel/2023_q4/Article-92812c6e6637c81027.htm |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=N12 |trans-quote='At some point they actually put us on a tractor that took us from the field directly to Gaza. This is also where we were injured by the shooting.' At this point, the IDF force is shooting at them, to try to stop the tractor that is now speeding towards Gaza. 'In the middle of the ride on the tractor, there was shooting, as a result of which my beloved mother was killed. I was injured in the back and my little Avi was injured in the leg.'}}</ref> According to Kibbutz [[Be'eri]] survivors Hadas Dagan and Yasmin Porat, an Israeli tank fired two shells at a house that was known to hold over a dozen hostages, including 12-year-old twins; only one hostage survived.<ref name=":22">{{citation |author=Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman, Natan Odenheimer, Ronen Bergman, Marco Hernandez |title=The Day Hamas Came |date=2023-12-22 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/22/world/europe/beeri-massacre.html |periodical=The New York Times |access-date=2024-01-06 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=As the dusk approached, the SWAT commander and General Hiram began to argue. The SWAT commander thought more kidnappers might surrender. The general wanted the situation resolved by nightfall. Minutes later, the militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade, according to the general and other witnesses who spoke to The Times. ‘The negotiations are over,’ General Hiram recalled telling the tank commander. ‘Break in, even at the cost of civilian casualties.’ The tank fired two light shells at the house. Shrapnel from the second shell hit Mr. Dagan in the neck, severing an artery and killing him, his wife said. During the melee, the kidnappers were also killed. Only two of the 14 hostages — Ms. Dagan and Ms. Porat — survived.}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{citation |author=Liza Rozovsky |title=Families of Israelis Killed in Be'eri Home Hit by IDF Tank on October 7 Demand Probe |date=2024-01-06 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-06/ty-article/.premium/families-of-israelis-killed-in-beeri-home-hit-by-tank-fire-on-october-7-demand-probe/0000018c-de77-daf6-a5df-df7f22d60000 |periodical=Haaretz |access-date=2024-01-06 |quote=[...] Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram said he had ordered a tank commander to fire on the home of Kibbutz Be'eri resident Pesi Cohen, in which Israeli civilians and many terrorists were holed up, ‘even at the cost of civilian casualties.’ [...] families of the killed Israelis demanded ‘a comprehensive and transparent probe into the decisions and actions that led to this tragic outcome. [...]’}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-11 |title=Friendly fire may have killed their relatives on Oct. 7. These Israeli families want answers now |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-hostages-investigation-friendly-fire-3b6fdd4592957340b32a8ee71505b8e9 |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> In January 2024, a [[Haaretz]] editorial asked the IDF to disclose whether the Hannibal Directive was used during the [[Be'eri massacre]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Haaretz Editorial |date=2023-01-08 |title=The IDF Must Investigate the Kibbutz Be'eri Tank Fire Incident – Right Now |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2024-01-08/ty-article-opinion/the-idf-must-investigate-the-kibbutz-beeri-tank-fire-incident-right-now/0000018c-e5b8-d765-ab9d-f5fd1f830000 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240108155035/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2024-01-08/ty-article-opinion/the-idf-must-investigate-the-kibbutz-beeri-tank-fire-incident-right-now/0000018c-e5b8-d765-ab9d-f5fd1f830000 |archive-date=2024-01-08 |access-date=2024-01-08 |work=Haaretz |language=en}}</ref> ▼

====IDF statements====

On 18 December the IDF confirmed that Israeli combatants “fell as a result of friendly fire on October 7," but added that "beyond the operational investigations of the events, it would not be morally sound to investigate these incidents due to the immense and complex quantity of them that took place in the kibbutzim and southern Israeli communities due to the challenging situations the soldiers were in at the time."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkjqoobip | title=One-fifth of troop fatalities in Gaza due to friendly fire or accidents, IDF reports | newspaper=Ynetnews | date=12 December 2023 | last1=Zitun | first1=Yoav }}</ref> In January, an investigation by Israeli newspaper ''[[Yedioth Ahronoth]]'' concluded that the IDF had in practice applied the Hannibal Directive from noon of October 7, ordering all combat units to stop "at all costs" any attempt by Hamas terrorists to return to Gaza with hostages.<ref name="Ynet240111">{{Cite news |last1=Bergman |first1=Ronen |author-link=Ronen Bergman |last2=Zitun |first2=Yoav |date=2024-01-10 |title=ההוראה: למנוע ממחבלים לחזור לעזה 'בכל מחיר', גם אם יש איתם חטופים |trans-title=The instructions: prevent terrorists from returning to Gaza "at all costs" even if there are hostages with them |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra13754368 |access-date=2024-01-12 |work=[[Ynet]] |language=he}}</ref><ref name="YA240112" /> According to ''Yedioth Ahronoth'', Israeli soldiers inspected around 70 vehicles on the roads leading to Gaza that had been hit by a helicopter, tank or [[UAV]], killing all occupants in at least some cases.<ref name="Ynet240111" /><ref name="YA240112">{{Cite news |last1=Bergman |first1=Ronen |author-link=Ronen Bergman |last2=Zitun |first2=Yoav |date=2024-01-12 |title=השעות הראשונות של השבת השחורה |trans-title=The first hours of Black Saturday |url=https://w.ynet.co.il/yediot/7-days/time-of-darkness |access-date=2024-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118162157/https://w.ynet.co.il/yediot/7-days/time-of-darkness |archive-date=2024-01-18 |work=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]] |language=he}}</ref>

====Further accusations and interviews====

▲The Israeli broadcaster [[Channel 12 (Israel)|Channel 12]] reported on 16 December that IDF forces had shot at a tractor carrying hostages to Gaza, killing one hostage and injuring others.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Steinman |first=Tamir |date=2023-12-16 |title=י 49 ימים בגיהנום {{!}} דורון כץ-אשר, ששוחררה משבי חמאס עם שתי בנותיה, על רגעי האימה והניתוח שעברה ללא הרדמה |trans-title=49 days in hell – Doron Katz-Asher, who was released from captivity with her two daughters, about the moments of horror and the surgery she underwent without anesthesia |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel/2023_q4/Article-92812c6e6637c81027.htm |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=N12 |trans-quote='At some point they actually put us on a tractor that took us from the field directly to Gaza. This is also where we were injured by the shooting.' At this point, the IDF force is shooting at them, to try to stop the tractor that is now speeding towards Gaza. 'In the middle of the ride on the tractor, there was shooting, as a result of which my beloved mother was killed. I was injured in the back and my little Avi was injured in the leg.'}}</ref> According to Kibbutz [[Be'eri]] survivors Hadas Dagan and Yasmin Porat, an Israeli tank fired two shells at a house that was known to hold over a dozen hostages, including 12-year-old twins; only one hostage survived.<ref name=":22">{{citation |author=Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman, Natan Odenheimer, Ronen Bergman, Marco Hernandez |title=The Day Hamas Came |date=2023-12-22 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/22/world/europe/beeri-massacre.html |periodical=The New York Times |access-date=2024-01-06 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=As the dusk approached, the SWAT commander and General Hiram began to argue. The SWAT commander thought more kidnappers might surrender. The general wanted the situation resolved by nightfall. Minutes later, the militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade, according to the general and other witnesses who spoke to The Times. ‘The negotiations are over,’ General Hiram recalled telling the tank commander. ‘Break in, even at the cost of civilian casualties.’ The tank fired two light shells at the house. Shrapnel from the second shell hit Mr. Dagan in the neck, severing an artery and killing him, his wife said. During the melee, the kidnappers were also killed. Only two of the 14 hostages — Ms. Dagan and Ms. Porat — survived.}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{citation |author=Liza Rozovsky |title=Families of Israelis Killed in Be'eri Home Hit by IDF Tank on October 7 Demand Probe |date=2024-01-06 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-06/ty-article/.premium/families-of-israelis-killed-in-beeri-home-hit-by-tank-fire-on-october-7-demand-probe/0000018c-de77-daf6-a5df-df7f22d60000 |periodical=Haaretz |access-date=2024-01-06 |quote=[...] Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram said he had ordered a tank commander to fire on the home of Kibbutz Be'eri resident Pesi Cohen, in which Israeli civilians and many terrorists were holed up, ‘even at the cost of civilian casualties.’ [...] families of the killed Israelis demanded ‘a comprehensive and transparent probe into the decisions and actions that led to this tragic outcome. [...]’}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-11 |title=Friendly fire may have killed their relatives on Oct. 7. These Israeli families want answers now |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-hostages-investigation-friendly-fire-3b6fdd4592957340b32a8ee71505b8e9 |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> In January 2024, a [[Haaretz]] editorial asked the IDF to disclose whether the Hannibal Directive was used during the [[Be'eri massacre]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Haaretz Editorial |date=2023-01-08 |title=The IDF Must Investigate the Kibbutz Be'eri Tank Fire Incident – Right Now |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2024-01-08/ty-article-opinion/the-idf-must-investigate-the-kibbutz-beeri-tank-fire-incident-right-now/0000018c-e5b8-d765-ab9d-f5fd1f830000 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240108155035/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2024-01-08/ty-article-opinion/the-idf-must-investigate-the-kibbutz-beeri-tank-fire-incident-right-now/0000018c-e5b8-d765-ab9d-f5fd1f830000 |archive-date=2024-01-08 |access-date=2024-01-08 |work=Haaretz |language=en}}</ref>

Also in January, [[Middle East Monitor]] reported that Noam Dan, cousin of hostage Ofer Calderon, launched an accusation against the Israeli Prime Minister, claiming that captives in Gaza are being deliberately sacrificed as part of a strategy to prolong [Netanyahu's] political tenure. Dan argued that this forms part of a wider "Hannibal Directive", stating, "My government is annihilating them."<ref>https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240123-cousin-of-captive-accuses-israeli-pm-of-sacrificing-hostages-for-political-gain/</ref>

According to [[MondoWeiss]], on 28 March 2024 IDF Captain Bar Zonshein gave an interview in which he recounted firing tank shells on vehicles on October 7, although he did not know if there were Israeli combatants alive or dead in them. Pressed on whether it was the right decision if there were Israeli soldiers killed as a result, he said "I decided that this is the right decision, that it's better to stop the abduction and that they not be taken," he told Israeli media outlets.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mondoweiss.net/2024/03/another-israeli-soldier-admits-to-implementing-the-hannibal-directive-on-october-7/ | title=Another Israeli soldier admits to implementing the 'Hannibal Directive' on October 7 | website=MondoWeiss | date=26 March 2024 }}</ref>

====Israeli inquiry====

On 5 April an inquiry into the events around the kidnapping of Efrat Katz, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities targeted by the attack, examined a variety of video evidence and testimony of witnesses. It said the evidence showed that one of the helicopter gunships fired at a vehicle in which gunmen were travelling and which the evidence also suggested had hostages in it. "As a result of the fire, most of the terrorists manning the vehicle were killed, and most likely, Efrat Katz ... was killed as well," it said in a statement. It said the investigation showed that the hostages could not be distinguished by existing surveillance systems. "The commander of the air force did not find fault in the operation by the helicopter crew, who operated in compliance with the orders in a complex reality of war," it said.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/israeli-inquiry-finds-oct-7-hostage-likely-killed-by-friendly-fire/75122839 | title=Israeli inquiry finds Oct 7 hostage likely killed by friendly fire | date=5 April 2024 }}</ref>

====UN Commission report====

A report by a UN Commission published in June 2024 found that the Israel Security Forces applied the Hannibal Directive in several locations, killing at least 14 Israeli civilians.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Nicola Smith |title=Israel killed own citizens on October 7 in ‘Hannibal Directive’, UN claims |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/13/israel-killed-dozen-own-citizens-on-october-7-un-claims/ |access-date=15 June 2024 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.is/20240615152306/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/13/israel-killed-dozen-own-citizens-on-october-7-un-claims/ |archive-date=15 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=UN finds at least 14 Israelis likely intentionally killed by own army on 7 October |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-un-killed-own-soldiers-army-7-october |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref>