Earth Ripper Posted July 7 Posted July 7 (edited) Haaretz, Israel's most respected newspaper, has confirmed what has long been suspected: on October 7th, the Israeli army ordered the infamous "Hannibal Directive", not once but multiple times. What is the Hannibal Directive? It is a highly controversial procedure created by the Israeli army to prevent the kidnapping of soldiers. In practice, it means the army forces may attack and even kill fellow soldiers and, most controversially, civilians (Israeli or foreign) if army forces are captured or at risk of capture by the enemy. The procedure has been cloaked in secrecy, making it controversial within Israeli society and beyond, particularly because the Directive could be invoked by even local commanders rather than superior officers. Though officially revoked in 2016 due to public pressure, Haaretz has verified documents and communications that prove the Israeli army explicitly reintroduced the practice and its terminology, not once but as a widespread general strategy during the Hamas attack on October 7th, indicating that the army was consciously aware that many civilian lives, including those kidnapped, were at severe risk of being killed by its own forces. The decisions to invoke the procedure seem to have been part of a general internal chaos in the overwhelmed army, as it faced the unexpected scale of the attack. Perhaps most surprisingly, Haaretz's investigation includes confirmation of the army's decision to attack its own army bases, one of them a divisional headquarters, as they were infiltrated by Hamas terrorists. A military source cited by the newspaper claims this decision would "haunt senior commanders all their lives", as they were aware of the likelihood of Israeli soldiers being killed in the process. As for civilian casualties, the investigation confirms that at 10:32 AM, the army was ordered to fire mortars towards the Gaza border in an effort to stop the vehicles carrying kidnapped soldiers and civilians from crossing it. Haaretz adds that this decision was particularly controversial within the Israeli military itself, as, at this point, there was no clear picture of where soldiers and civilians were located along the border, "some of these (...) in open areas or in woods along the border, trying to hide from the terrorists". Yet, even when a more complete picture of these locations and of the number of kidnapped civilians emerged, orders given at 11.22 AM and 2.00 PM doubled down on the decision, ordering the army to "stop" any vehicle attempting to cross the border by any means necessary. "The instruction (...) was meant to turn the area around the border fence into a killing zone", as put by one of the military sources. The investigation also mentions previous confirmation that the Hannibal Directive was invoked on the ground, such as in the village of Be'eri, where Division 99 controversially fired a tank at a house held by Hamas, knowingly killing civilian hostages (13 out of 14) inside it. Haaretz additionally confirms that as late as 9.33 PM, the army was ordered to open fire "at anyone approaching the border area, without any restrictions". Until now, the IDF has refused to confirm whether the Hannibal Directive was used. A spokesman for the IDF states that the army is conducting its own internal investigations and will publish its findings "with transparency". He adds that the goal of the investigations is to "learn and to draw lessons which could be used in continuing the battle". Edited July 7 by Earth Ripper 5
oscarscheller Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Why are we talking about the reintroduction of this procedure instead of the terrorist attack that has led to that 2 9
Earth Ripper Posted July 7 Author Posted July 7 3 minutes ago, oscarscheller said: Why are we talking about the reintroduction of this procedure instead of the terrorist attack that has led to that Actually, because of this procedure, the lines are now blurred and it is now impossible, even for the army, to properly assess which soldiers and which civilians were killed by Hamas and which by the IDF. This is obviously relevant not just for Israelis (esp those whose family members and friends may have been killed) but for the world at large, as October 7th and its casualties are constantly mentioned in the context of the Gaza war... Also, this is the first time that the IDF has invoked this practice in the context of civilian abductions. As Haaretz reported earlier, this could be illegal. As Israeli professor Asa Kasher has pointed out, this is also part of a toxic culture within the Israeli army that glorifies nationalist self-sacrifice. Enough reasons to talk about it then, I'd say. 7 5
State of Grace. Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Haaretz is Khamas! Anyone with an ounce of critical thinking left has known this for 9 months. Palestinian journalists, witnesses, and even IDF soldiers themselves have been saying it since October. They killed their own people and soldiers and ensured we'll never know. Now that Israeli sources are reporting it, Western media will bury their heads in the sand as usual. 8
Horizon Flame Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Where is the link, OP? Where did you copy and paste this from?
family.guy123 Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Governments should be criticized when they endanger their civilians.
Communion Posted July 8 Posted July 8 19 hours ago, oscarscheller said: Why are we talking about the reintroduction of this procedure instead of the terrorist attack that has led to that Because the developing details of 10/07 and the alleged lengths Hamas are accused of having taken against Israel, particularly citizens, has been used by Israel to argue Hamas must be obliterated, that Hamas only desires the eradication of all Jewish people, and that a ceasefire deal and an independent Palestinian state must not be allowed. Israel alleged that Hamas used mass sexual violence as a strategy and weapon of war to illustrate Hamas' cruelty... except independent investigation by global bodies like the UN found no evidence of sexual violence used as a weapon of war, no physical evidence to substantiate such claims, and any sexual violence that occurred and could have occurred would have been by individual actors and not a strategy of warfare. Israel alleged numerous horrific acts that would constitute most the severe war crimes, whether it being the physical mutilation of female civilians' genitals and breasts, the mass decapitation of infants, the burning of children alive as a means of torture, but again, as facts come out on 10/07, little evidence exists to substantiate these specific claims. Public-facing Israel officials claimed that Hamas intentionally targeted the music festival, yet Israeli intelligence revealed Hamas had no idea the music festival was occurring. This isn't to say Hamas aren't guilty of killing people. Hamas and Israel are committing war crimes when attacking civilians, but you can't turn around and claim intention or specific details don't matter when spending the last 9 months arguing that your claims of what Hamas' alleged intentions and alleged actions were thus deemed them human animals and which apparently justifies the slaughter of as many as 200,000 Palestinians at this point. 3
Earth Ripper Posted July 8 Author Posted July 8 13 hours ago, Horizon Flame said: Where is the link, OP? Where did you copy and paste this from? It is in the text but here it is: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-07-07/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-ordered-hannibal-directive-on-october-7-to-prevent-hamas-taking-soldiers-captive/00000190-89a2-d776-a3b1-fdbe45520000 It was not copy pasted. I summarized it myself because it is behind a paywall.
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