Former Israeli Defense Minister General Yoav Gallant acknowledged on 7 February on Channel 12 that he had ordered the IDF on 7 October 2023 to apply the "Hannibal Directive". According to him, it was implemented in some places, but not in others [1]. In extreme situations, this protocol provides for killing Israelis rather than letting them fall into the hands of the Palestinian resistance.

In January 2024, The Cradle claimed that at least half of those killed at the SuperNova festival were killed by the IDF and not by Hamas [2].

The Jewish state’s communication services later presented a video montage to Western parliamentarians, but refused to make it public. Those who saw it in a private screening, were overwhelmed by emotion and conveyed the official version of the “greatest pogrom in history”. However, when they saw the photos afterwards, some of them started to express doubts.

☞ The Hannibal Directive is an Israeli military doctrine developed in 1986 by commander of the Northern Forces General Yossi Peled.

The original order, drafted with Colonel Gabi Ashkenazi (later IDF Chief of Staff and a member of the October 7 War Cabinet) and an intelligence officer, Colonel Yaacov

Amidror (later National Security Advisor), stated that in the event of capture, the IDF’s main mission is to prevent soldiers from being taken prisoner at all costs.

It is tantamount to ordering to shoot a captured soldier to prevent him from becoming a prisoner. According to former generals, it can be summed up as follows: "Better a dead soldier than a living captive". Or: "After the protocol is triggered, we focus on a specific area and with one goal: to disrupt the enemy and prevent it from escaping with a prisoner."

In 2014, when the Palestinian Resistance captured soldier Hadar Goldi in Gaza, the IDF pounded Rafah at a rate of one missile per minute for 4 hours. They killed 150 civilians and declared that the soldier had died of his wounds.

Many soldiers have challenged this directive, which has been reformulated several times. Among them is General Benny Gantz, the current leader of the opposition.

This is the editorial from our paywalled "Voltaire, international newsletter", n°120. For more information, do not hesitate to subscribe: 500€ per year.

Translation
Gregor Fröhlich

     

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[1] «Yoav Gallant admits the use of ’#Hannibaldirective’», @BrunellaCapitan, X, February 7, 2025.

[2] «How Israeli forces trapped and killed ravers at the Nova Festival», William Van Wagenen, The Cradle, January 12, 2024.