Israeli forces accused of killing their own citizens under the 'Hannibal Directive' during October 7 chaos | 7 Sept 2024 | "Hannibal at Erez, dispatch a Zik [attack drone]," came the command on October 7. Those words, reported by Israeli newspaper Haaretz in July, confirm what many Israelis have feared since the Hamas attacks on October 7 in southern Israel. Israeli forces have killed their own citizens. Israeli authorities say more than 800 civilians and around 300 soldiers were killed on October 7... The Israeli military is coming under increasing pressure to reveal just how many of their own citizens were killed by Israeli soldiers, pilots and police in the confusion of the Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities. Survivors and relatives have been asking not just "what went wrong," but whether the military invoked the controversial - and supposedly rescinded - "Hannibal Directive." The doctrine, written in 1986 in response to the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, gave permission for Israeli forces to fire on enemies holding their comrades hostage - even at risk to those hostages.