Ein Ofarim killings
Encyclopedia
The Ein Ofarim killings was a guerilla attack which occurred on Wednesday night, 12 September 1956.
squad infiltrated into Israel from Jordan
. The militants reached the Ein Ofarim facility near the village Hatzeva
where they stabbed to death 3 Druze
guardsmen.
.
As a result, Israel made a decision to of retaliate in response to Ein Ofarim killings. The Arendall station was chosen as a the destination for the counter attack. 13 Israeli paratroopers soldiers participated in the counter attack codenamed Operation Shoshana in which they attacked the fortified Arendall station. During the operation 16 Jordanian soldiers were killed. IDF casualties in the operation included one dead soldier and 12 wounded soldiers. The police station was destroyed.
The attack
On Wednesday night, 12 September 1956, a Palestinian FedayeenFedayeen
Fedayeen is a term used to describe several distinct militant groups and individuals in West Asia at different times in history. It is sometimes used colloquially to refer to suicide squads, especially those who are not bombers.-Overview:...
squad infiltrated into Israel from Jordan
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...
. The militants reached the Ein Ofarim facility near the village Hatzeva
Hatzeva
Hatzeva is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the Arava, 12 km north of Ein Yahav, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Arava Regional Council. It is named after the nearby Hatzeva Fortress. In 2005, it had a population of about 400. Hatzeva was originally founded in 1965 as a...
where they stabbed to death 3 Druze
Israeli Druze
According to the 2008 National Resilience Survey, conducted by Dr. Yussuf Hassan of the Tel Aviv University, more than 94% of Druze youngsters classified themselves as "Druze-Israelis" in the religious and national context....
guardsmen.
Victims
- Nawaf Abu-Ghazi (born 1931)
- Suleiman Hatoum (born 1931)
- Rafik Abdullah (born 1933)
Aftermath
The tracks of the perpetrators led to the Jordanian border police station Arendall, which was used by the Jordanian National Guard and the camel mounted commando unit of the Arab LegionArab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
.
As a result, Israel made a decision to of retaliate in response to Ein Ofarim killings. The Arendall station was chosen as a the destination for the counter attack. 13 Israeli paratroopers soldiers participated in the counter attack codenamed Operation Shoshana in which they attacked the fortified Arendall station. During the operation 16 Jordanian soldiers were killed. IDF casualties in the operation included one dead soldier and 12 wounded soldiers. The police station was destroyed.
External links
- Israel Cites Jordan Raid - published on Sarasota Herald-TribuneSarasota Herald-TribuneThe Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida.It is owned by The New York Times Company, who purchased it in 1982, and part of its regional news group. Along with Comcast, the newspaper operates a local 24-hour...
on September 14, 1956