Daniel Hagari did not provide many details in the daily press conference about the Israeli army’s activities in Gaza on the 45th day of the war on the poor and besieged Strip.
But he stated that “the Air Force is launching air strikes to reduce the risks to our ground forces.”
He added: “These forces continue to advance as planned, and it takes time and patience.”
The Israeli military spokesman did not mention Abu Ubaida explicitly, nor did he directly deny his statement regarding the bombing of Israeli forces.
But he seemed to be responding to Abu Ubaida.
Hadith of Abu Ubaidah and “Hannibal”
The Israeli military spokesman’s daily briefing came about an hour after Abu Ubaida’s speech, in which he said, “We believe that the enemy bombed its forces on the ground, thinking that a number of its soldiers had been captured.”
If this is the case, it is an implementation of what is known as the “Hannibal Protocol,” which says that “the process of kidnapping (soldiers) must be stopped by all means, even if that comes at the expense of striking and harming our forces.”
This protocol had been under development since the first prisoner exchange between Israel and the General Command of the Popular Front, and was finalized in 1985. It was first revealed to the Israeli army in 2001.
The Hannibal Protocol has been used several times since 2008 as a result of military clashes with Palestinian factions in Gaza, which resulted on several occasions in the killing of faction members and captured soldiers.
A third interpretation
The Times of Israel newspaper provided a third explanation for what is happening in Gaza.
She said that Israeli forces were exposed to “friendly fire” on several occasions during the ground invasion of Gaza.
She added that the results in some of these incidents were fatal, as she engaged on Monday in fierce battles with Hamas fighters.
She noted that there are currently thousands of infantry forces, tanks and other forces operating in the crowded neighborhoods of Gaza City.
She stated that the army is working on a continuous assessment of the fighting in Gaza, including “friendly fire incidents.”
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