Israelis Question if ‘Hannibal Directive’ Was Used on Oct 7 as Army Admits ‘Immense’ Amount of Friendly Fire Took Place

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation

The Israeli media is openly questioning whether their government exercised the “Hannibal Directive” — a controversial IDF doctrine that stipulates using maximum force to prevent kidnappings “by all means, even at the price of striking and harming our own” — as it’s now being admitted by the Israeli army that “immense” amounts of friendly fire took place on Oct 7.

If Israel Used a Controversial Procedure Against Its Citizens, We Need to Talk About It Now

Did Israel implement the so-called Hannibal Directive – which allows the military to endanger a soldier to prevent them from being kidnapped – at the hostage-taking incident in Be’eri on October 7?

by Noa Limone | Dec 13, 2023 5:37 pm IST

The accounts of the only two survivors of the hostage-taking incident in Be’eri on October 7 give the impression that the Israel Defense Forces employed the so-called Hannibal Directive with the people being held hostage by Hamas inside one of the houses on the kibbutz. When it is implemented, the Hannibal Directive allows the military to endanger a soldier to prevent them from being kidnapped.

According to a report on Channel 12 News over the weekend about the Be’eri hostage situation, after several hours of firefights between Israeli troops and Hamas terrorists, which saw the use of light anti-tank weapons, a terrorist exited the building with hostage Yasmin Porat and released her. She said she was then questioned by Police Special Anti-Terror and told them that there were about 40 terrorists and 14 civilian hostages in the house.

Eventually, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram arrived to take command of the area. When one of the soldiers remarked about the fighting, “Barak, it’s a disgrace,” he replied, “I know.” Afterward, a tank positioned near the house fired two shells – one at the ground, the other at the roof. Of the 14 hostages still inside, two of them children, only Hadas Dagan survived. Porat’s first public account of the incident appeared two days later and was later verified by Dagan.

Why are these two accounts, which appear to say that our forces rained tank shells and other fire on a house where Israeli civilians were being held hostages, not seen as earth-shattering?