- The Hannibal Directive was a top-secret military order used by the Israeli army. First devised in 1986 by three senior army commanders, it stipulated measures to be taken when an Israeli soldier was captured during combat. Its purpose was to prevent the enemy from escaping with that soldier, even if it meant endangering the soldier's life and the lives of civilians in the vicinity. The order was last executed during the 2014 Gaza War:
- On Friday, August 1, 2014, in Rafah, Southern Gaza, the Israeli Army invoked the Hannibal Directive to try to stop Hamas fighters from fleeing with a captured Israeli officer. The unprecedented ferocity of the action that followed cost the lives of at least 135 civilians - 75 of them children. Amnesty International and other NGOs have described the events of that day, "Black Friday", as a war crime.
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