Four Israeli Soldiers Missing; “Hannibal Protocol” Activated
According too the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr news Agency and Al Mayadeen, Hebrew-language media reported that Tel Aviv has ordered a temporary blackout on any details regarding the disappearance of four Israeli soldiers in Gaza operations.
The media further reported that voices believed to be from one of the missing soldiers were heard near their last known location. It remains unclear whether this was a deception tactic by resistance forces.
Hebrew-language outlets also stated that Israel’s military activated the Hannibal Protocol during resistance fighters’ operations in Gaza and amid their assault on Al-Zaytoun neighborhood.
The protocol was established in 1986 after several Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah. Its purpose is to prevent enemy forces from taking Israeli troops prisoner.
This directive orders Israel’s military to stop soldier abductions at all costs-in essence, it mandates ”killing one’s own soldier rather than allowing them to be captured.” Reports have confirmed incidents where Israeli troops have targeted fellow soldiers suspected of being kidnapped under this protocol.
The protocol’s name derives from historical Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca, who reportedly took his own life with poison rather than be captured by Roman forces.
