In 1986, following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, Israel instituted a military doctrine known as the “Hannibal Directive.” It is believed the IDF had previously invoked this controversial protocol to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers by the enemy. It basically stipulates that an Israeli soldier is deemed ‘better dead than abducted’ and that “a kidnapping must be stopped by all means, even at the price of striking and harming our own forces.” In other words, for the IDF, it’s more economical to kill your own people should they be taken hostage rather than risk losing important leverage by negotiating with the enemy.
Following the Hamas Uprising of October 7th, Israel appear to have extended this policy to hostages and captives when they reinstated the Hannibal Directive. Six months later, they are still liquidating their own people…
The Cradle reports…
The Israeli army released a statement on 5 April where it admitted that Efrat Katz, 68, was likely killed by Israeli helicopter fire that targeted a vehicle with Hamas fighters taking her captive to Gaza on 7 October.
“It appears that during the battles and the airstrikes, one of the combat helicopters that took part in the fighting, fired at a vehicle that had terrorists in it, and which, in retrospect, based on the testimonies, also had hostages in it,” read the statement.
“As a result of the fire, most of the terrorists manning the vehicle were killed, and most likely, Efrat Katz was killed as well.” Her body is said to remain in Gaza.
The army claimed that according to its investigation, the Israeli captives present in the vehicle “could not be distinguished by the existing surveillance systems.” The commander of the Air Force “did not find fault in the operation by the helicopter crew, who operated in compliance with the orders in a complex reality of war,” the statement added.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported in December that Katz had been killed by Israeli helicopter fire, citing the testimony of Katz’ grown daughter, Doron Katz-Asher. Doron explained that she and her two young daughters were injured in the same helicopter strike.
While the army claims Katz’s killing was an accident, Israeli media has elsewhere reported that the military leadership issued the Hannibal Directive on 7 October. The controversial directive orders Israeli forces to deliberately kill their own soldiers or civilians if they are being taken captive by an enemy.
This indicates that the army’s killing of Katz and its killing of many other Israelis who died on 7 October may have been deliberate. Hamas wished to take Israeli captives to exchange for the thousands of Palestinians held captive in Israeli prisons.
WATCH: The Israeli military killed Israeli grandmother Efrat Katz on October 7, according to a Channel 12 report.
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Israel claims that Hamas massacred some 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. However, Israeli claims of Hamas ISIS-style atrocities, such as beheading babies, have proven fabrications, and Israeli forces killed large numbers of Israelis who died that day.
In response to the Hamas attack and effort to take captives in the settlements near Gaza, Israeli forces used heavy weapons from Apache attack helicopters, Zik armed drones, and Merkava tanks. As a result, Israeli troops killed many of their own civilians, including many who were buried in their collapsed homes after airstrikes and burned alive in cars near the Gaza border and at the Nova music festival near Re’im through the use of incendiary munitions.
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