By Giuseppe Gagliano –
According to a recent report published by the Israeli newspaper HaaretzThe Israeli army activated the Annibale Directive during the attacks of 7 October 2024, when Hamas’s militiemans launched an impressive offensive against Israel, which caused hundreds of civil and military victims. The controversial guideline, born in the 1980s, authorizes the use of “all necessary power” to prevent the enemy conquering soldiers, to the point to endanger their lives.
Commandments in 1986 by the top of the IDF (Israeli defense groups), the Annibale Directive was devised after conquering three soldiers from the Givati director by Hezbollah, in the context of the Israeli employment of the South Libanon. The event pushed the commands to develop a strategy that was aimed at preventing their men in every way they fell prisoners, for fear that this could be exploited as a political and military lever. The most famous episode that strengthened this strategic vision dates from 2006, when the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was caught by Hamas and was released only five years later in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The investigation into Haaretz He revealed that, although the Annibale Directive in 2016 had been officially canceled by the then chef of the General Staf Gadi Eisenkot, it was reactivated without a reserve on 7 October during the HAMAS attack interlocation operations. Orders of the southern command of the IDF have given clear instructions: no vehicle that had to be able to return to Gaza.
The testimonials collected by Israeli journalists talk about direct attacks on convoys suspected of wearing Israeli prisoners. According to sources of the UN, the use of the directive would have led to the death of an unknown number of Israeli soldiers and civilians, affected by the fire of the armed forces themselves.
In addition to the events of October 7, the Annibale Directive was used several times:
– 2000: After the conquest of three Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Israeli air strikes pulled the suspected vehicles to transport them.
– 2006: The army was late in a situation of Annibale after conquering two soldiers by Hezbollah. A high military officer revealed at the Washington Post that the IDF would bomb the vehicles with their men if they were identified.
– 2008: During the Pello Fuso operation, a Palestinian house was hit to prevent the conquering of an injured Israeli soldier.
– 2014: During the operation in Rafah, the directive was activated after conquering an Israeli officer, who unleashed bombings that caused the death of more than 200 Palestinian citizens, including 75 children. Amnesty
International He defined the episode as a “war crime”.
The use of the Hannibal Directive brought a heated debate in Israeli society. On the one hand, sectors of military location consider it a necessary means to prevent soldiers from being used as a pressure instrument for political and military negotiations. On the other hand, many families of the victims ask for clarity about their use, especially after the events of 7 October, when the confusion between military and civilian goals contributed to increasing the number of victims among the Israelis themselves.
The research conducted by Haaretz He has rewinded the attention of the attention of one of the most discussed doctrines of the Israeli army and raised questions about his actual withdrawal and about the balance between national security and protection of its citizens. If, on the one hand, Israel justifies its application as a tool to prevent strategic benefits of enemies, the other costs of its implementation on the other will remain a reason for strong controversy both in the country and in the international community.
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