In the early hours of October 7, during the Hamas assault on southern Israel, the IDF allegedly reactivated the controversial “Hannibal Protocol” to prevent the abduction of soldiers into Gaza, according to testimonies obtained by Haaretz.

Haaretz reported on Sunday that it had collected documents and testimonies from soldiers involved in the fighting, which suggest that senior officers in the Gaza Division instructed troops to implement the Hannibal Protocol. This military directive, officially repealed in 2016, allowed troops to use extreme measures, including potentially endangering the lives of fellow soldiers, to prevent their capture.

The initial breach by Hamas terrorists occurred around 7:18 a.m. when an IDF soldier monitoring surveillance at the Erez Crossing reported an attempted kidnapping. Command allegedly ordered “Hannibal at Erez,” and dispatched an attack drone. A similar order was reported half an hour later following another attempted abduction.

Orders to prevent kidnappings were also given to soldiers at the Re’im Camp and Nahal Oz post. Testimonies indicate that a Hermes 450 drone struck the Re’im base, even as Shaldag commandos were engaged in regaining control from the attackers. It remains unclear whether any Israeli soldiers were harmed by the strike.

At Nahal Oz, despite reported orders, seven surveillance soldiers were kidnapped, and 53 soldiers were killed. In a separate November 2023 report, Haaretz suggested that civilians might have been injured by military fire while fleeing the Supernova music festival at Kibbutz Re’im. This claim was denied by the police, who stated that false allegations were made by the Palestinian Authority regarding the deaths of partygoers.

Haaretz’s recent report also suggests that Hannibal-esque policies were extended to civilian situations on October 7. An order issued around 11:30 a.m. instructed soldiers to prevent any vehicles from returning to Gaza, fearing they might be transporting kidnapped individuals. An unnamed source from the IDF’s Southern Command confirmed this directive, noting that it was understood as a measure to prevent potential kidnappings, though there were no confirmed attacks on vehicles carrying hostages.

In one tragic incident, an Israeli Air Force probe concluded that Efrat Katz, 68, was likely killed by helicopter fire during a failed Hamas kidnapping attempt at Kibbutz Nir Oz. The vehicle involved contained both terrorists and Israeli hostages, according to eyewitnesses and surveillance footage.

Throughout the day, around 1,200 people were killed across southern Israel, and 251 were taken hostage, primarily civilians. By evening, as the IDF regained control of Gaza border communities, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram ordered a tank to fire on a house in Kibbutz Be’eri, where 14 Israelis were held hostage by Hamas terrorists. The ensuing firefight resulted in 13 hostages being killed, with at least one, Adi Dagan, 68, reportedly killed by tank fire shrapnel. An investigation into this incident is forthcoming.

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