Gallant Admits Using Hannibal Directive on October 7

In a recent interview, former Israeli military minister Yoav Gallant revealed that Israeli occupying forces received orders to use the ‘Hannibal Directive,’ ordering them to shoot and kill captive Israeli “civilians” along with their Palestinian captors on October 7, 2023.

What Is Israel’s ‘Hannibal Directive’?

During the October 7 operation, Israel’s military enforced the ‘Hannibal’ Protocol, a directive allowing the use of force to prevent soldier abductions, even at the cost of hostages' lives, according to the Guardian.

Reports indicate that the military applied this procedure at three army bases targeted by the Palestinian Resistance, putting Israeli “civilians” at risk.

At 11:22 a.m., about five hours after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood began, Israel’s Gaza Division issued an order stating, “Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.”

A Southern Command source told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in July 2024: “Everyone knew by then that such vehicles could be carrying kidnapped civilians or soldiers … Everyone knew what it meant to not let any vehicles return to Gaza.”

Documents and testimonies from soldiers, along with mid- and senior-level Israeli military officers, reveal that the IOF widely implemented the protocol on October 7 while struggling to respond amid a lack of clear intelligence.

U.N. Inquiry Concludes Israel Used 'Hannibal Directive' on October 7

U.N. investigators, led by Navi Pillay, chair of the U.N. Human Rights Committee, found that “Israeli security forces” may have killed at least 14 Israeli settlers, including 12-year-old twin siblings and a 68-year-old grandmother. 

The U.N. committee further accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity during the war.

Israel, which refused to cooperate with the inquiry, swiftly dismissed the report and condemned its findings. Officials accused the Commission of Inquiry (COI) of “systematic anti-Israeli discrimination.”

“The CoI has once again proven that its actions are all in the service of a narrow-led political agenda against Israel. Today’s reports confirm what we have repeatedly said: the Pillay Commission will never do justice to the Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism,” said Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the U.N.

Former Israeli Military Minister Admits to Enforcing ‘Hannibal Directive’

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have neither confirmed nor denied applying the ‘Hannibal Directive’ protocol on October 7, stating only that it remains one of many aspects under investigation.

An Israeli military spokesperson said internal investigations were ongoing into the events of October 7 and the preceding period in response to whether the military used the ‘Hannibal directive’ or not.

However, former military minister Yoav Gallant admitted last week that the Israeli occupying forces received orders to shoot and kill captive Israeli “civilians” on October 7, 2023.

Ahead of Gallant’s answer, journalist Amit Segal clarified for viewers that “the Hannibal Directive says to shoot to kill when there is a vehicle containing an Israeli hostage.”

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday, Gallant confirmed that the so-called ‘Hannibal Directive’ was issued “tactically” and “in various places” near Gaza.

“In other places, it was not given, and that is a problem,” he added. This marked his first interview with Israeli television since his dismissal in November.

Gallant: ‘Government Did Not Do Everything It Could to Free the Hostages’

Yoav Gallant also admitted that he pushed for a military offensive in Gaza despite warnings that the attack could endanger Israeli hostages.

“After the events of Oct. 7 (in 2023) and before the ground invasion began on Oct. 27, I received warnings that hostages in Gaza could be killed if we proceeded with the attack,” Gallant said on Thursday.

Despite the risks, he acknowledged insisting on the invasion, stating, “But I insisted on fighting and carrying out the ground operation later.” He also conceded that the Israeli government, even under his role, “did not do everything it could to free the hostages.”

The dismissed minister also criticized the government's approach to the ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas. “We could have brought back more hostages earlier at a lower cost,” he stated in the interview.

While some Israeli officials have taken responsibility for security failures, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to do so and has resisted calls for an official investigation into what has been called Israel’s most significant intelligence and security failure.

In November, Netanyahu dismissed Gallant and appointed Israel Katz as military minister.

Palestinian Resistance-Israel Prisoner Swap

According to the BBC, Al-Qassam Brigades has freed 21 Israelis, while Israel has released 566 Palestinians since the ceasefire began on January 19.

On Saturday, Al-Qassam Brigades freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza, while Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners as part of the latest exchange under an internationally brokered ceasefire deal.

Crowds in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, welcomed the returning Palestinian prisoners with celebrations. Representatives stated that all released detainees required medical care.

By the end of the ceasefire’s first phase in three weeks, both sides expect to free 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners. Israel claims that eight of the 33 hostages are dead.

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