Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant now admits that the Israeli military used the much-criticized Hannibal Directive during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023.
The military protocol allows for the use of lethal force – even if it carries a very high risk of killing hostages – and aims to prevent Israeli prisoners from falling into enemy hands.
– I think that, tactically, in some places, it was given, and in other places, it was not given, and that is a problem, Gallant said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12.
The policy has long been the subject of harsh criticism, including from Israel, and is believed to have been used unofficially in several conflicts. The directive prioritizes preventing the enemy from gaining an advantage over protecting the lives of its own soldiers.
One version of the directive states that “kidnapping must be stopped by all means, even at the price of striking and harming our own forces”.
Straight from the war criminal’s mouth. The Hannibal directive order was given.
War criminal, Yoav Gallant, admits that the Hannibal directive order was ‘tactically in different places was given’.
He is trying to be very careful with his words and doesn’t specify in what… pic.twitter.com/sTqfgFoyAD
— Power Politik (@pwrpolitik) February 7, 2025
Tanks and helicopters
According to figures from Israeli authorities, Hamas killed around 1,100 Israeli soldiers and civilians during the 2023 attack – but Gallant’s admission is interpreted by analysts as meaning that many of these may in fact have been killed by the Israeli military instead.
In connection with the October 7 attacks, the Israeli army deployed helicopters, drones and tanks on its own territory to fight Hamas, and an unknown number of Israelis are believed to have lost their lives during that operation.
Mr. Gallant has not commented on how many of his own citizens may have been killed during the Israeli counter-offensive, but according to witnesses, Israeli attack helicopters were used to fire on civilian targets at the Nova music festival, near the Reím military base.
“Shot at civilians”
An independent international commission concluded last May in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council that
“The Commission is aware of allegations that ISF used the “Hannibal Directive” to prevent the capture of Israeli civilians and their transfer to Gaza, even at the cost of killing them. Such allegations were made in relation to ISF actions in the Nova site, including reports of ISF attack helicopters shooting at Israeli civilian cars, resulting in the killing of Israelis”.
“The Commission confirmed the presence of at least eight attack helicopters in various locations on 7 October, but it could not confirm that they shot at civilians or civilian cars, including in the area of the festival. The Commission documented one statement by an ISF tank crew, confirming that the crew had applied the Hannibal Directive by shooting at a vehicle which they suspected was transporting abducted ISF soldiers”.
“The Commission also verified information indicating that, in at least two other cases, ISF had likely applied the Hannibal Directive, resulting in the killing of up to 14 Israeli civilians. One woman was killed by ISF helicopter fire while being abducted from Nir Oz to Gaza by militants. In another case the Commission found that Israeli tank fire killed some or all of the 13 civilian hostages held in a house in Be’eri”.
