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Hannibal Directive
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The Hannibal Directive (Hebrew: נוהל חניבעל, romanized: Nóhal Khanibaál), also translated as Hannibal Procedure or Hannibal Protocol, is the name of a controversial procedure used by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers by enemy forces. According to one version, it says that "the kidnapping must be stopped by all means, even at the price of striking and harming our own forces."[2] It was introduced in 1986, after a number of abductions of IDF soldiers in Lebanon and subsequent controversial prisoner exchanges. The full text of the directive was never published, and until 2003, Israeli military censorship forbade any discussion of the subject in the press. The directive has been changed several times,[2] and in 2016 Gadi Eizenkot ordered the formal revocation of the standing directive and the reformulation of the protocol.[3][4]
Two versions of the Hannibal Directive may have existed simultaneously at times: a written version, accessible only to the upper echelon of the IDF, and an "oral law" version for division commanders and lower levels. In the latter version, "by all means" was often interpreted literally, as in "an IDF soldier was 'better dead than abducted'". In 2011, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz stated the directive does not permit killing IDF soldiers to prevent abduction.[5]
In case of the abduction of Gilad Shalit, invocation of the Hannibal Directive occurred too late to have any influence on the course of events.
Israeli newspapers including Haaretz, ABC News and the UN's Commission of Inquiry have pointed out that during the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel the IDF ordered the Hannibal Directive to be used. The IDF was ordered to prevent "at all costs" the abduction of Israeli civilians or soldiers, possibly leading to the death of a large number of Israeli hostages.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
- ^ Harel, Amos (1 November 2011). "After Shalit, Some IDF Officers See a Dead Soldier as Better Than Abducted". Haaretz.
- ^ a b Weizman, Eyal (2017). Forensic Architecture, Violence at the Threshold of Detectability. New York: Zone Books. p. 176. ISBN 9781935408864.
- ^ Harel, Amos (28 June 2016). "Israel's Military Chief Orders to Revoke Controversial 'Hannibal' Directive". Haaretz.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nytimesrevokedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Harel, Amos (1 November 2011). הרמטכ"ל למפקדים קרביים: נוהל חניבעל אינו מאפשר הרג חייל כדי למנוע חטיפה [The Chief of Staff for combat commanders: the Hannibal procedure does not allow the killing of a soldier to prevent a kidnapping]. Haaretz (in Hebrew).
- ^ Limone, Noa (2023-12-13). "If Israel Used a Controversial Procedure Against Its Citizens, We Need to Talk About It Now". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Ynet240111was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Yaniv, Kubovich (7 July 2024). "IDF Ordered Hannibal Directive on October 7 to Prevent Hamas Taking Soldiers Captive". Haaretz.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:6was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Israel accused of killing its own civilians under the 'Hannibal Directive' to avoid them being taken hostage". ABC News. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
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