New investigation reveals Israeli military used Hannibal Protocol on October 7

An investigation by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz revealed today, Sunday, that the Israeli occupation army issued orders to activate the Hannibal Protocol, which stipulates the killing of the detainee and the detainee during the attack of October 7.

Haaretz obtained documents proving that the Gaza Division, the Southern Command and the General Staff ordered the implementation of the Hannibal Protocol, from the first hours after the attack and at various points along the border, without having any information about the number of detainees or Hamas fighters. The protocol was used extensively at the Beit Hanoun crossing, the Ra'im base and the Nahal Oz site, and that this did not prevent soldiers from being captured from those sites in the end.

The newspaper's investigation said that the Israeli occupation army ordered that no vehicle be allowed to return to Gaza during the attack, without caring that this would endanger the lives of Gaza envelope residents. The army ordered the use of force, shelling and shooting to prevent the capture of soldiers, during the implementation of the Hamas fighters' attack on October 7, "Al-Aqsa Flood" on three Israeli military installations, according to the newspaper.

The investigation indicated that there is no final tally of the number of soldiers or civilians who were injured or killed as a result, explaining that many of the detainees were exposed to Israeli gunfire, even if they were not the target. However, it pointed out that the army is aware that it killed one Israeli near the border fence as a result of gunfire in that area. The Israeli army did not acknowledge implementing the Hannibal Protocol during the attack of October 7, saying that the investigation into the attack is still ongoing.

An Israeli official said that the army had decided to bomb the Gaza Strip following the attack, despite knowing that it could endanger the lives of the detainees, who were estimated at the time to be in the dozens, according to the newspaper.

Earlier, Israeli army captain Bar Zonshine admitted to implementing the "Hannibal Protocol" during the attacks of October 7. Zonshine told Israel's Channel 13 that they spotted two cars on October 7, adding that "there were many people in the cabins of the two vehicles, I don't know if they were dead bodies or living people, and I decided to attack the two vehicles." He continued: "I decided that this was the right decision, and that it was better to stop the kidnapping," and thus the Israeli officer admitted that he may have killed Israeli soldiers. Zonshine confirmed, saying: "I feel that I acted correctly."

The Israeli occupation army uses the Hannibal Protocol as a measure to prevent the capture of its soldiers, even if it means killing them, so this protocol allows the bombing of the sites of captured soldiers.