Mehdi Hasan says Israel's military should have to answer for its actions on October 7
Mehdi HasanFounder and editor-in-chief of Zeteo
In a Zeteo article and video published on October 6, 2026, the eve of the attack's third anniversary, Hasan wrote that he agrees with Israeli families who want an independent investigation into October 7. He wrote that Hamas "clearly killed hundreds of Israelis" and should answer for its crimes, and that the Israeli military "should also have to answer for its actions on that chaotic and bloody day" and the Hannibal Directive "needs to be exposed, once and for all."
“A lot of the Israeli families of those killed and abducted want an independent investigation into what happened on Oct. 7, and I agree with them. Hamas clearly killed hundreds of Israelis and committed crimes and abuses, which they should answer for. The Israeli military, however, should also have to answer for its actions on that chaotic and bloody day – and the Hannibal Directive needs to be exposed, once and for all.”
Original text
Original video
Where this statement fits
Did Israeli forces kill Israelis under the Hannibal Directive on October 7?
On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attackers struck southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed in Israel that day and about 250 were taken hostage into Gaza. In July 2024, Haaretz reported that documents and testimony show the Israeli military used the Hannibal procedure, which directs force to stop soldiers from being taken captive, at three army sites that day. The detailed findings of a UN commission of inquiry say Israeli fire likely killed at least 14 Israeli civilians in two incidents. The IDF has said a helicopter likely killed Efrat Katz of Kibbutz Nir Oz and that tank shrapnel highly likely killed one hostage outside a house in Kibbutz Be'eri, and it has defended the decisions of its commanders. Former defense minister Yoav Gallant said in February 2025 that he thinks an order to apply the procedure was given tactically in some places and not in others. The dispute is over whether, and how often, Israeli forces fired on Israeli captives that day, and how many Israelis that fire killed.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Hasan's written introduction to his video monologue, published on Zeteo on October 6, 2026. It says Western media outlets have ignored Israeli reporting on deaths caused by the Hannibal Directive, says Hasan agrees with Israeli families who want an independent investigation, and says the full 22-minute video is for paid subscribers while a 3-minute preview is free.
Original video
About this source
A 3 minute 27 second preview of Mehdi Hasan's 22-minute Zeteo monologue on the Hannibal Directive, posted to Zeteo's YouTube channel on October 6, 2026. Hasan sets out the October 7 death toll, says the number killed by Israel rather than by Palestinian armed groups is unknown, names outlets he says have covered the question, plays a subtitled clip of Yoav Gallant's February 2025 Channel 12 interview, and says major Western outlets ignored Gallant's remarks. The quotations are our transcription of the audio.
Before the quotation
Zeteo posted a 3-minute preview of Hasan's 22-minute monologue to YouTube on October 6, 2026. In it Hasan says the question that remains "completely unanswered" three years on is how many people on October 7 were killed not by Hamas or other Palestinian armed groups but by Israel, and he plays a clip of Yoav Gallant's February 2025 Channel 12 interview. In the accompanying article he writes that, in the few known cases of Israeli soldiers accused of killing Israeli civilians, the military "investigated itself and cleared the soldiers involved."
After the quotation
Hasan writes that Western media outlets ignored the subject and that independent outlets that reported on it "were smeared as conspiracy theorists," and that their work has been vindicated, including by "the former Israeli defense minister himself." The full video is for paid subscribers.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Israeli military's use of fire on October 7, 2023, under or in the manner of the Hannibal Directive, that put Israeli captives at risk of being killed by Israeli forces. Hasan says the Israeli military should have to answer for its actions that day and that the directive "needs to be exposed," and he supports an independent investigation. He also says Hamas killed hundreds of Israelis and should answer for its crimes, but that does not soften his criticism of the Israeli military's conduct. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, because much of his argument is about media coverage, but this passage criticizes the military's conduct directly, so we used Condemned.
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- People and groups discussed
- Israel Defense Forces
More from this case
Read the full caseInstitute for Strategic Dialogue says the Hannibal Directive has been central to false claims about October 7 deaths
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
“In some cases, the idea that the Israeli military deliberately killed its own citizens was linked to the ‘Hannibal Directive’ – a controversial Israeli military policy that directs the use of force (even if it poses a threat to life) to prevent the abduction of hostages. The Hannibal Directive has been central to false claims that Israeli security forces killed as many or more civilians than Hamas, and in downplaying well-documented war crimes against civilians.”Read statement
Be'eri resident Omri Shifroni says firing tank shells at a house with hostages was not a moral decision
“I think it was not the right decision, not a good decision and not moral. But I can also understand there was great chaos in Be'eri and there was a lot of pressure to end the event there. I think they didn't intend to shoot and to kill hostages, but when you shoot a tank shell on a house, you need to take into account that that is likely to happen.”Read statement
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Hamas was responsible for the overwhelming number of deaths on October 7
“Boy, it certainly does not, Said. I don't think there's any question ... I don't think there's any question that it was Hamas ... I don't think it's any question it's Hamas that is responsible for the overwhelming number of deaths on October 7th.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Mehdi Hasan says Israel's military should have to answer for its actions on October 7
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4904-in-a-zeteo-article-and-video-published-on
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Mehdi Hasan says Israel's military should have to answer for its actions on October 7". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4904-in-a-zeteo-article-and-video-published-on