Explainer
What is the Hannibal Directive?
The Hannibal Directive was an Israeli military order, drafted in the mid-1980s, that let troops use heavy force to stop a soldier from being captured, even if that force endangered the captive. Israel's military chief ordered it canceled in 2016.
What the directive allowed
The Hannibal Directive, also called the Hannibal Procedure or Hannibal Protocol, set out what Israeli troops should do when one of their soldiers is being taken captive. The Times of Israel described it in 2016 as an order that "allows soldiers to use potentially massive amounts of force to prevent a soldier from falling into the hands of the enemy," including force that could endanger the captured soldier.2 Haaretz described the procedure as intended to foil a kidnapping "even at the expense of the lives of the kidnapped."4
Its authors and Israeli officials have said it never allowed troops to kill a captive on purpose. Yaakov Amidror, one of the officers who wrote it, told the Associated Press in 2014: "The order is that you cannot kill the soldier, but you can endanger him."1 ABC News in Australia reported that Israel's attorney-general said in 2015 that the directive specifically prohibited killing a hostage.3
Where it came from
The Associated Press reported in 2014 that Israel's army works hard to prevent soldiers from being captured, in part because past captures ended in "painful, lopsided prisoner exchanges after years of protracted negotiations."1 The AP reported that Yossi Peled, then head of the army's Northern Command, designed the procedure in the mid-1980s after Hezbollah fighters captured two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. He drafted it with two of his staff officers: Col. Gabi Ashkenazi, who later became the military's chief of staff, and Col. Yaakov Amidror, who later served as Israel's national security adviser.1 ABC News in Australia dates the directive to 1986.3
The Israel Defense Forces told ABC News that a computer program chose the name at random. The name matches that of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who took poison rather than be captured by the Romans.3
Why it was canceled
In June 2016, the Times of Israel reported that the military's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, had decided to cancel the directive. A military spokesperson said a new order would replace it, designed to better match the situations soldiers are likely to face.2
The Times of Israel described the change as a clarification of what the order allowed rather than a full change in policy. Citing Haaretz, it reported that a forthcoming State Comptroller report found that officers understood the directive in different ways.2
History
- Mid-1980s
Yossi Peled, head of the army's Northern Command, designs the procedure with two staff officers after Hezbollah captures two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.1
- August 1, 2014
After Lt. Hadar Goldin is believed captured near Rafah, in Gaza, multiple officials tell the Associated Press that the order was given; the military does not officially confirm it. Palestinian health officials say the shelling that followed killed some 100 Palestinians.1
- June 2016
Chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot decides to cancel the directive and replace it, the Times of Israel reports.2
- October 7, 2023
A Haaretz investigation published in July 2024, based on documents and testimony, reports that during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel the army used the procedure at the Erez crossing, the Re'im army base and the Nahal Oz outpost.4
- June 2024
A UN commission of inquiry says it "documented strong indications" that the directive was used in several instances on October 7.5
- February 6, 2025
Yoav Gallant, defense minister on October 7, says in a television interview that he thinks an order to apply the directive was given tactically in some places and not in others.6
What is disputed
Whether, and how often, Israeli forces fired on Israeli captives on October 7, 2023, and how many Israelis that fire killed.
See the case: Did Israeli forces kill Israelis under the Hannibal Directive on October 7?Whether the 2016 cancellation ended the practice. ABC News described the directive as "supposedly rescinded," while Haaretz and a UN commission of inquiry reported that it was used on October 7, 2023.
See the case: Did Israeli forces kill Israelis under the Hannibal Directive on October 7?
Cases on the Dispute Index
Did Israeli forces kill Israelis under the Hannibal Directive on October 7?
Haaretz reported that Israel's military used the Hannibal procedure on October 7, 2023, and a UN inquiry said Israeli fire likely killed at least 14 civilians in two incidents. The IDF defends its Be'eri tank fire. Mehdi Hasan says Western media ignored the question.
Sources
- Associated Press, August 13, 2014: Israeli tactic to stop soldier capture criticized (opens in a new tab) · Saved copy (opens in a new tab)
- The Times of Israel, June 28, 2016: Israeli army cancels controversial Hannibal Protocol (opens in a new tab) · Saved copy (opens in a new tab)
- ABC News (Australia): Israeli forces accused of killing their own citizens under the 'Hannibal Directive' during October 7 chaos (opens in a new tab) · Saved copy (opens in a new tab)
- Haaretz, July 7, 2024: IDF ordered Hannibal directive on October 7 to prevent Hamas taking soldiers captive (opens in a new tab) · Saved copy (opens in a new tab)
- UN Commission of Inquiry, A/HRC/56/CRP.3: detailed findings on the attacks of October 7, 2023 in Israel (opens in a new tab)
- Defense minister confirms army orders to kill Israelis on 7 October (The Electronic Intifada, YouTube excerpt of Yoav Gallant's Channel 12 interview) (opens in a new tab) · Saved copy (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed October 6, 2026. We review this explainer when a case that uses it changes. Report an error