Battles of Kfar Darom
Encyclopedia
The Battles of Kfar Darom refer to a number of military engagements in 1947–1948 between the Jewish Haganah
and various Arab forces in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the southern kibbutz
Kfar Darom
. The most notable battles were fought on May 13–15, 1948, between the Palmach
and the Egyptian army
, including Muslim Brotherhood
units. The kibbutz was defended by about 30 Israelis and held out against numerous attacks.
While Egyptian assaults were unsuccessful, their siege led to the evacuation of the kibbutz by its members on July 8, 1948, after resupply attempts through the ground and air by the Israeli Negev Brigade
and air force
were insufficient or failed entirely. The Egyptian army stormed it the next day only to find it empty.
plan, a response to the Morrison–Grady Plan for the partition of Palestine. On October 6, new olim
left Be'erot Yitzhak
to create Kfar Darom, Be'eri
and Tkuma
. Kfar Darom was strategically located on the coastal road
that the Egyptians would later use as their main advance and supply route.
were isolated to some degree and therefore comparatively easy targets, during the 1947–1948 war in mandatory Palestine
, Kfar Darom bore the brunt of the Arab attacks. First shots were fired at the village on December 7, 1947. By this time the village was under siege and military effort was required to get supplies through. The situation deteriorated and by April 1948, Kfar Darom was completely surrounded by Arab forces.
The first significant Arab attempt to capture Kfar Darom was on March 23, 1948, when 18 separate attacks were repelled by the local residents. Shots were again heard on April 8. On April 10, a Muslim Brotherhood
's First Battalion under Husni al-Musawi staged an attack on the village, but was defeated with dozens of casualties.
The next attempt was made by the Brotherhood on May 10 under Lieutenant Colonel (Bikbashi) Ahmad al-Aziz. Aziz sent reconnaissance patrols on May 10, and on the next day, assaulted the village. He hoped that a one-hour artillery barrage would kill or wound most of the defenders, but it was mostly off-target and failed to destroy any building. Three infantry and armor thrusts were repelled, as they were allowed to come close to the village fence unmolested, and concentrated fire was opened at them when they did, causing confusion. The sappers who were meant to breach the fence were all killed or wounded and the force could not advance further and retreated, leaving 70 dead. In Kfar Darom, four were killed and four wounded, leaving a total of 25 able to fight.
s and withdrew as well. At this point the kibbutz was defended by 30 members, of them 20 Palmach
soldiers from the Negev Brigade
.
After two reinforcement attempts before Egyptian intervention failed (one of them because of a "rebellion" by Palmach squad commanders who refused to lead new recruits), the Negev Brigade planned a major breakthrough with a reinforced company with several armored vehicles. The plan was to capture the Bedouin locality Khirbat Ma'in and get a convoy through to Kfar Darom during the night of May 14–15. The attack was delayed and Khirbat Ma'in was only taken at dawn. The vehicles proceeded in daylight to Kfar Darom, but got bogged down in sand 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away from the village, and came under fire from Muslim Brotherhood forces. All vehicles were abandoned except one, which managed to reach Kfar Darom fully intact. Many of the troops from the abandoned vehicles made it to Kfar Darom on foot, but carried 39 wounded, which only made made the fighting more difficult for the besieged. Food and water rations now had to be divided among more people.
The Egyptian regular army staged its attack on the morning of May 15. Forces from the 1st Battalion including three tanks, six armored vehicles, 10 other vehicles and an infantry contingent attacked Kfar Darom from the Deir al-Balah railway station in the northwest. They were met with anti-tank fire and retreated after one tank was hit. The Egyptian infantry pushed on, but was repelled and failed to breached the perimeter. The Egyptian losses amounted to 70 killed and 50 wounded. All the while, Egyptian aircraft made bombing runs on the village. After the ground troops reorganized, they made a final thrust to rescue to wounded left in the field, and a heavy artillery barrage on the village followed.
ceasefire observers did not intervene, and Egypt prevented the besieged kibbutz from receiving aid, including by shelling the areas where aerial drops landed, so that they could not be picked up. One convoy from the Negev Brigade managed to enter the village, but were subjected to Egyptian fire when trying to get back. After 8 days, they finally managed to take a few wounded and make it back to the Israeli lines.
In light of the situation, the Negev Brigade requested permission to evacuate Kfar Darom. Although they would be sacrificing a strategic asset (a position that overlooked the coastal road
, which was Egypt's main supply route) and deviating from the principle prevalent at that time in Israel that no settlement would be evacuated, the brigade wished to consolidate its positions, and Kfar Darom was a major burden. The General Staff agreed, and an order was given to abandon the village on July 8. It was evacuated under cover of darkness with all the weapons possible to carry, as well as the two Torah scrolls; other supplies were destroyed. Egypt's army attacked on July 9 with infantry, armor and artillery, but were surprised to find the village deserted.
had fallen to the Transjordan
ian Arab Legion
several days earlier).
The land of Kfar Darom remained under Egyptian control following the 1949 Armistice Agreements
, and became part of the Gaza Strip
. Some of the kibbutz members helped found Bnei Darom
in 1949, near today's Ashdod. The Gaza Strip was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War
, and in 1970, a Nahal
settlement was built next to the old Kfar Darom. It was civilianized in October 1989. On August 18, 2005, Kfar Darom was evacuated as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
.
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
and various Arab forces in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the southern kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Kfar Darom
Kfar Darom
Kfar Darom was a kibbutz and an Israeli settlement within the Gush Katif bloc in the Gaza Strip.-Original kibbutz:Kfar Darom was founded on 250 dunams of land purchased in 1930 by Tuvia Miller for a fruit orchard on the site of an ancient Jewish settlement of the same name mentioned in the Talmud...
. The most notable battles were fought on May 13–15, 1948, between the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
and the Egyptian army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
, including Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
units. The kibbutz was defended by about 30 Israelis and held out against numerous attacks.
While Egyptian assaults were unsuccessful, their siege led to the evacuation of the kibbutz by its members on July 8, 1948, after resupply attempts through the ground and air by the Israeli Negev Brigade
Negev Brigade
The 12th Negev Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade that served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It was commanded by Nahum "Sergei" Sarig and consisted of four Palmach battalions...
and air force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
were insufficient or failed entirely. The Egyptian army stormed it the next day only to find it empty.
Background
Kfar Darom was originally a fruit orchard established in 1930 by the citrus grower Tuvia Miller, located far from the rest of the Jewish population of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was destroyed in the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. The village was re-established as part of the 11 points in the Negev11 points in the Negev
11 points in the Negev refers to a Jewish Agency plan for establishing eleven settlements in the Negev in 1946, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel.-History:...
plan, a response to the Morrison–Grady Plan for the partition of Palestine. On October 6, new olim
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
left Be'erot Yitzhak
Be'erot Yitzhak
Be'erot Yitzhak is a religious kibbutz in central Israel. Located near Yehud, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council...
to create Kfar Darom, Be'eri
Be'eri
Be'eri is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev desert near the border with the Gaza Strip, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 774.-History:...
and Tkuma
Tkuma, Israel
Tkuma is a religious moshav in southern Israel. Located north-west of Netivot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Negev Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 514.-History:...
. Kfar Darom was strategically located on the coastal road
Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
that the Egyptians would later use as their main advance and supply route.
1947–1948 Palestine War
While all Jewish villages in the NegevNegev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
were isolated to some degree and therefore comparatively easy targets, during the 1947–1948 war in mandatory Palestine
1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
The 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine lasted from 30 November 1947, the date of the United Nations vote in favour of the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the UN Partition Plan, to the termination of the British Mandate itself on 14 May 1948.This period constitutes the...
, Kfar Darom bore the brunt of the Arab attacks. First shots were fired at the village on December 7, 1947. By this time the village was under siege and military effort was required to get supplies through. The situation deteriorated and by April 1948, Kfar Darom was completely surrounded by Arab forces.
The first significant Arab attempt to capture Kfar Darom was on March 23, 1948, when 18 separate attacks were repelled by the local residents. Shots were again heard on April 8. On April 10, a Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
's First Battalion under Husni al-Musawi staged an attack on the village, but was defeated with dozens of casualties.
The next attempt was made by the Brotherhood on May 10 under Lieutenant Colonel (Bikbashi) Ahmad al-Aziz. Aziz sent reconnaissance patrols on May 10, and on the next day, assaulted the village. He hoped that a one-hour artillery barrage would kill or wound most of the defenders, but it was mostly off-target and failed to destroy any building. Three infantry and armor thrusts were repelled, as they were allowed to come close to the village fence unmolested, and concentrated fire was opened at them when they did, causing confusion. The sappers who were meant to breach the fence were all killed or wounded and the force could not advance further and retreated, leaving 70 dead. In Kfar Darom, four were killed and four wounded, leaving a total of 25 able to fight.
Battles of May 13–15
Battles were renewed on the night of May 12, when a Muslim Brotherhood infantry contingent breached the eastern fence of Kfar Darom. They entered into a minefield and withdrew. A lone tank broke through the gate but had to stop at a communications trench. It was torched with Molotov cocktailMolotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s and withdrew as well. At this point the kibbutz was defended by 30 members, of them 20 Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
soldiers from the Negev Brigade
Negev Brigade
The 12th Negev Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade that served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It was commanded by Nahum "Sergei" Sarig and consisted of four Palmach battalions...
.
After two reinforcement attempts before Egyptian intervention failed (one of them because of a "rebellion" by Palmach squad commanders who refused to lead new recruits), the Negev Brigade planned a major breakthrough with a reinforced company with several armored vehicles. The plan was to capture the Bedouin locality Khirbat Ma'in and get a convoy through to Kfar Darom during the night of May 14–15. The attack was delayed and Khirbat Ma'in was only taken at dawn. The vehicles proceeded in daylight to Kfar Darom, but got bogged down in sand 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away from the village, and came under fire from Muslim Brotherhood forces. All vehicles were abandoned except one, which managed to reach Kfar Darom fully intact. Many of the troops from the abandoned vehicles made it to Kfar Darom on foot, but carried 39 wounded, which only made made the fighting more difficult for the besieged. Food and water rations now had to be divided among more people.
The Egyptian regular army staged its attack on the morning of May 15. Forces from the 1st Battalion including three tanks, six armored vehicles, 10 other vehicles and an infantry contingent attacked Kfar Darom from the Deir al-Balah railway station in the northwest. They were met with anti-tank fire and retreated after one tank was hit. The Egyptian infantry pushed on, but was repelled and failed to breached the perimeter. The Egyptian losses amounted to 70 killed and 50 wounded. All the while, Egyptian aircraft made bombing runs on the village. After the ground troops reorganized, they made a final thrust to rescue to wounded left in the field, and a heavy artillery barrage on the village followed.
Siege and evacuation
By the first truce of the war on June 11, Kfar Darom was completely surrounded and under siege by Egyptian forces. Numerous attempts were made before and during the truce, including aerial drops, to deliver food and supplies to the village. The United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
ceasefire observers did not intervene, and Egypt prevented the besieged kibbutz from receiving aid, including by shelling the areas where aerial drops landed, so that they could not be picked up. One convoy from the Negev Brigade managed to enter the village, but were subjected to Egyptian fire when trying to get back. After 8 days, they finally managed to take a few wounded and make it back to the Israeli lines.
In light of the situation, the Negev Brigade requested permission to evacuate Kfar Darom. Although they would be sacrificing a strategic asset (a position that overlooked the coastal road
Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
, which was Egypt's main supply route) and deviating from the principle prevalent at that time in Israel that no settlement would be evacuated, the brigade wished to consolidate its positions, and Kfar Darom was a major burden. The General Staff agreed, and an order was given to abandon the village on July 8. It was evacuated under cover of darkness with all the weapons possible to carry, as well as the two Torah scrolls; other supplies were destroyed. Egypt's army attacked on July 9 with infantry, armor and artillery, but were surprised to find the village deserted.
Reactions and aftermath
The initial stand of Kfar Darom on May 13–15 lifted the morale of all Israeli forces, as it was considered the first successful Jewish stand against the Arab standing armies (Gush EtzionGush Etzion
Gush Etzion is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestinian territories. The core group includes four agricultural villages that were founded in 1940-1947 on property purchased in the 1920s and 1930s, and ...
had fallen to the Transjordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
ian Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
several days earlier).
The land of Kfar Darom remained under Egyptian control following the 1949 Armistice Agreements
1949 Armistice Agreements
The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israeli forces and the forces in...
, and became part of the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. Some of the kibbutz members helped found Bnei Darom
Bnei Darom
Bnei Darom is a religious moshav shitufi in central Israel. Located near the Mediterranean coast, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Yavne Regional Council...
in 1949, near today's Ashdod. The Gaza Strip was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, and in 1970, a Nahal
Nahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
settlement was built next to the old Kfar Darom. It was civilianized in October 1989. On August 18, 2005, Kfar Darom was evacuated as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
.