Report Confirms Israel Ordered ‘Hannibal Directive’ During October 7 Response

A report published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Sunday confirmed that the Israeli military implemented a secretive procedure known as the “Hannibal directive” during the response to the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

The directive allows Israeli forces to prevent Israelis from being taken hostage, even if that means putting their lives in danger. The directive had historically only applied to soldiers, but it was also used on Israeli civilians during the October 7 response.

A “very senior” source in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed to Haaretz that the Hannibal directive was ordered on October 7. The report also cited documents and testimonies from soldiers and officers and found that the order was given multiple times throughout the day.

One of the orders came at 11:22 am, hours into the Hamas attack, which said, “Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.” The report said that at this point in the attack, “the IDF was not aware of the extent of kidnapping along the Gaza border, but it did know that many people were involved. Thus, it was entirely clear what that message meant and what the fate of some of the kidnapped people would be.”