By Al Mayadeen
All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name (only available in desktop version).
To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here.
Click the share button above to email/forward this article to your friends and colleagues. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.
Spread the Truth, Refer a Friend to Global Research
***
According to a source in the Israeli forces’ Southern Command, the region was designed to become a “killing zone,” while another commanded that “not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.”
Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported that during Operation al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) routinely used a command that allowed soldiers to murder their own soldiers, namely the infamous Hannibal Directive.
The Israeli Air Force targeted at least three military facilities and outposts during the operation and the IOF opened fire on the walled separation barrier dividing Gaza and “Israel,” when Israelis were being taken captive.
According to a source in the Israeli Southern Command, the region was designed to become a “killing zone,” while another commanded that “not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.”
These instructions are known as the “Hannibal Directive,” requiring the IOF to take all measures to avoid the capture of Israeli soldiers, including murdering them.
Haaretz‘s investigation was based on records and testimony from troops, mid-level, and senior army commanders and data indicated that many taken captive were subjected to Israeli gunfire and “were in danger.”
According to Haaretz, Israeli commanders took decisions early on October 7 based on unverified intelligence with one source citing “crazy hysteria,” adding that “No one had a clue about the number of people kidnapped or where army forces were.”
An Israeli source told Haaretz that any person making a decision “knew that our combatants in the area could be hit as well.”
Another order directed all units to fire mortars against the Gaza Strip, despite the occupation’s feeble knowledge of the locations of soldiers and citizens. The order was expanded later to prohibit any vehicle from entering Gaza.
A source in the Southern Command told Haaretz that “Everyone knew by then that such vehicles could be carrying kidnapped civilians or soldiers,” adding that “everyone knew what it meant to not let any vehicles return to Gaza.”
Israeli Witness Affirms IOF Tanks Killed Settlers on October 7
Recalling events on October 7 in “Israel”, an Israeli witness in December disclosed that Israeli tanks targeted both their citizens and members of the Palestinian Resistance. This resulted in the killing of at least 14 settlers, including children.
Israeli media had previously reported the killing of a 12-year-old girl, Liel Hetzroni, in Kibbutz “Be’eri” in southern occupied Palestine.
After Liel’s killing, her grandfather, twin brother, and aunt were reportedly taken to another location, where they, along with more than 10 other Israeli captives, were killed. Subsequently, there were allegations that Hamas set fire to the building. The incident was prominently covered in the Israeli media under the title of “Hamas brutality”.
After Israeli settler Yasmin Porat asserted that Israeli forces “undoubtedly” killed settlers held captive, Hadas Dagan, the appropriator of the house, also spoke out.
In an interview for Channel 12, Dagan confirmed that the Israeli army indeed attacked the house where settlers were held captive, using tank fire and heavy weapons.
Describing the “horror of the incident,” which claimed the lives of 14 settlers, including her husband, Dagan recounted the moment the Israeli army arrived, expressing her realization that their role was to serve as “a human shield between the arriving Israeli forces and fighters.”
*
Note to readers: Please click the share button above. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.
Featured image: Photo released by the Israeli military from the events of October 7, 2023. (photo: Israeli Defense Forces)
