Israeli army's 7 Oct probe further confirms implementation of Hannibal Directive
A top-level internal probe of the Israeli army's failures on 7 October 2023 has reaffirmed that the air force was ordered to carry out the Hannibal Directive a few hours after the Palestinian resistance in Gaza launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
The Hannibal Directive is a long-standing Israeli military protocol aimed at preventing the capture of Israeli hostages, even at the risk of their lives.
According to the report, at around 10:30 am, the air force began firing on “anything that moved” near the Gaza border. At the same time, Israeli pilots were tasked with carrying out the previously undisclosed ‘Sword of Damocles’ operation, which focused “on striking Hamas targets inside Gaza.”
By the end of the day, the air force carried out 945 attacks on the Gaza envelope, with helicopters firing 11,000 shells on both Hamas fighters and Israeli settlers and soldiers.
