Piers Morgan to Lowkey: you have taken the Hannibal reporting "to hundreds of people"
Piers MorganHost, Piers Morgan Uncensored
Piers Morgan told Lowkey that Haaretz reported a Hannibal order but did not know whether anyone was hit, and that Lowkey had extrapolated it to hundreds of Israelis killed by Israel.
“My point is, you have extrapolated this and you've taken it to hundreds of people in the 1,200 that were said to have been killed were killed by Israelis.”
Original video
Other statements by Piers Morgan in this case
- Piers Morgan: "I think there's merit to the Hannibal Directive story"Later: Mixed or conditional
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. The record also covers hostages later killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, including three who were shot in Shejaiya in December 2023 after escaping their captors.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Piers Morgan Uncensored debate with Lowkey and Brigitte Gabriel.
Before the quotation
Morgan read from Haaretz's July 2024 report that it did not know whether or how many civilians and soldiers were hit, and said: "there may well have been a directive issued, says Haaretz, but nobody knows whether anyone was even hit or killed."
After the quotation
As Lowkey spoke over him, Morgan said: "There is zero evidence." In September 2025 he told Bassem Youssef he thinks there is merit to the Hannibal Directive story.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Israeli 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. Morgan accepts that the order may have been issued but disputes claims that hundreds were killed by Israeli fire, which challenges the characterization. The closest competing label is Minimized, but he treats any deaths as unproven rather than downplaying accepted ones.
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More from this case
Read the full casePolitiFact says it has not revisited related claims and its Nova video rating stands
PolitiFact
“We have not gone back and looked at related claims, and the rating stands.”Read statement
IDF points to its published October 7 investigations and declines further comment
Israel Defense Forces
“The IDF has published investigations concerning its conduct on October 7th, and beyond that, we will not comment.”Read statement
Michael Starr: under the directive, soldiers fire "at risk to friendlies, not at friendlies"
“The directive is a removal of safeties that come with the use of live fire, as Americans may be familiar with danger close mortar or artillery strikes. Fire is directed at hostiles, not at hostages, but the safety protocols are essentially removed. You are shooting at risk to friendlies, not at friendlies.”Read statement
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- Piers Morgan to Lowkey: you have taken the Hannibal reporting "to hundreds of people"
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The Dispute Index. "Piers Morgan to Lowkey: you have taken the Hannibal reporting "to hundreds of people"". First published: 2026-10-07. Last updated: 2026-10-07. https://disputeindex.com/events/5158-piers-morgan-told-lowkey-that-haaretz-reported-a