Report: Israel Invoked 'Hannibal Directive' on Oct. 7

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Facts

• Israeli outlet Haaretz released a report on Sunday claiming that the Israeli military allegedly employed the 'Hannibal' operational order — which directs the use of force to prevent soldiers from being taken into captivity — at three army facilities infiltrated by Hamas on Oct. 7, potentially endangering civilians.¹
• Israel's Gaza division allegedly received the directive about five hours after Hamas' attack began, stating, 'Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.' A southern command source told Haaretz that by then, it was known that Hamas had taken hostages.²
• The report said the directive was employed at the Erez border crossing, the Re'im army base, and the Nahal Oz outpost. A tank was also reportedly ordered to fire on a home in Kibbutz Be'eri — where Hamas fighters were reportedly holding 14 Israeli hostages — killing 13.³
• The Israeli military told Haaretz that it had opened internal investigations into Oct. 7 and would present its findings to the public when they were concluded. There was reportedly no explicit instruction to target vehicles carrying hostages, but soldiers said they didn't have enough information to make distinctions.³
• A UN investigation also last month alleged that Israeli forces likely killed at least 14 Israeli civilians during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Israel said the report was 'reflective of the systematic anti-Israel discrimination' at the UN, arguing that it disregarded Hamas' use of civilian 'human shields.'⁴
• Israel officially canceled the Hannibal directive in 2016, but the order was allegedly issued on Oct.7, when some 1.2K people were killed across southern Israel, and 251 were seized as hostages, the majority of whom were civilians.⁵
• Israel officially canceled the Hannibal directive in 2016, but the order was allegedly issued on Oct.7, when some 1.2K people were killed across southern Israel, and 251 were seized as hostages, the majority of whom were civilians.⁶

Sources: ¹Haaretz.com, ²Guardian, ³Independent, ⁴The Telegraph, ⁵Timesofisrael and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. The truth about Oct. 7 continues to come out as more and more Israeli claims prove to be false. Israel's military was in a state of chaos, with its forces in the south collapsing, leading to ferocious violence that killed its own civilians.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Timesofisrael. Though it's surely possible that Israeli forces may have killed soldiers and civilians, it pales in comparison to the sheer amount of civilians Hamas intentionally massacred during its attack. It's clear that Hamas is behind the majority of the bloodshed on that fateful day.

Predictions