Operation Death to the Invader
Encyclopedia
Operation Death to the Invader , also Death to the Invaders, was an Israel
i military operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was carried out on July 16–18, 1948 in the northwestern Negev
desert. The operation's objective was to link Jewish villages in the Negev desert with the rest of Israel, after this aim was not achieved in Operation An-Far
that ended on July 15. The Egyptians blocked Israeli access to its Negev villages during the first truce of the war (June 11 – July 8), by taking up positions on the Majdal
– Bayt Jibrin
road, where most of the battles of Death to the Invaders were fought.
The operation started with a series of raids on Egyptian bases and Palestinian Arab villages on July 16–17, including Jilya
, Qazaza
, Idnibba
, Mughallis
, Zayta, Isdud and Bayt Jibrin. It was followed on July 17–18 by assaults on Bayt 'Affa
, Hill 113, Kawkaba
and Huleiqat
, which all failed. Finally, on July 18, the Israelis captured Hatta and Karatiyya
, successfully fending off a last-minute Egyptian counterattack before the second truce of the war went into effect.
(1943) and the 11 points in the Negev
(October 1946), created a reality whereby a large Jewish enclave existed within predominantly Arab-inhabited territory. The latter effort was a response to the Morrison–Grady Plan for the partition of Palestine, and was instrumental in the final decision of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
for the Palestine Partition Plan.
The Egyptian Army invaded Israel on May 15, 1948, following Israel's declaration of independence on the previous day. They attacked Nirim
and Kfar Darom
at first, and their main column advanced up the coastal road
northwards. On May 19, they attacked
Yad Mordechai
, and stopped at the Sukreir Bridge
on May 29, where they dug in following the Israeli Operation Pleshet
. From that point until the first truce of the war, they attacked several wholly or partially-surrounded Jewish villages, including Negba
(June 2) and Nitzanim
(June 7).
Up to the start of the second stage of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Negev enclave was linked to the rest of the Jewish-held areas by a narrow waist between Bror Hayil
and Negba through Kawkaba, Huleiqat and the internal Negev road, taken by Jewish forces in Operation Barak
on May 12, 1948. The waist was overlooked by the Iraq Suwaydan police fort
, which was handed over by the British to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
forces also on May 12, even before Egypt officially entered the war. Up to the first truce of the war on June 11, Israeli convoys could safely pass through the Negev road, but in the beginning of the truce, Egypt fortified themselves along the east–west Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road and disconnected the enclave from the rest of Israel.
– Bayt Jibrin area. The Israeli plan was called Operation An-Far (short for Anti-Farouk
), and its objective was to open up a permanent supply route to the Negev enclave. Another objective was to sever Egypt's supply route from the main concentration along the coastal road to the secondary one in the area of Hebron
and Bethlehem
. The Egyptians, for their part, sought to widen their narrow waist and relieve the forces along the coast of the Israeli threat.
The Egyptians, attacking at 06:00 on July 8, before the formal end of the ceasefire, managed to preempt
Israel and quickly captured Kawkaba and Huleiqat. Additional assaults on Israeli positions in Beit Daras
, Julis
and Negba were repelled. The Israeli operation was started on the night of July 8–9, when the Givati Brigade
set out in two forces (east and south) to attack Egyptian and local Arab forces. The eastern wing took Masmiyya
, Qastina
, Tina
and Tell es-Safi
. The southern wing took Ibdis
and the village of Iraq Suwaydan. A simultaneous attack by the Negev Brigade
on the Iraq Suwaydan police fort failed.
Hostilities resumed on July 10–11, when Givati raided Isdud, and the Egyptian army staged a failed counterattack on Tell es-Safi. They did however take the Husseima position overlooking kibbutz
Gal On
. Another Egyptian attack on Julis was also repelled. The biggest Egyptian thrust came on July 12, when it sent a reinforced brigade to Negba, Ibdis and Julis, with a disastrous result that, along with the Egyptian army's ammunition shortage, turned the tide clearly in Israel's favor. On July 12–14, Givati fought for and recaptured Hill 105 next to Negba, and repelled an Egyptian attack on Barqa. On July 13–14, Israeli units blew up a bridge next to Bayt Jibrin and on July 14, repelled an Egyptian attack on Gal On. On July 14–15, the sides waged a seesaw battle for Hatta and Bayt 'Affa.
Although exhausted from seven days of fighting and not accomplishing their objectives, IDF units in the area achieved a measure of success and started preparations to exploit it. The General Staff feared that the United Nations Security Council
would impose a ceasefire while the Negev was disconnected, as the exact date of the truce had not been known yet, with the UNSC meeting taking place on July 16, two days after the General Staff meeting. The General Staff therefore ordered a last-ditch effort to break through, reinforcing the Givati Brigade with Moshe Dayan
's 89th Mechanized Assault Battalion of the 8th Brigade and units from the Israel Navy. While the objective of Death to the Invader was essentially the same as that of An-Far, the method in which it was meant to be carried out was different—while in An-Far, the connection with the Negev would be made on the internal road, between Julis and Bureir
, in Death to the Invader it would be between Iraq Suwaydan and Fallujah, through Karatiyya.
to clear their flanks. They mainly captured villages which were depopulated after the fall of Tell es-Safi: Jilya
, Qazaza
, Idnibba
and Mughallis
. The southern wing took Zayta and staged a raid on Bayt Jibrin
. At the same time, forces from Gan Yavne
circled Wadi Sukreir and raided the Sukreir Bridge. The Egyptians returned artillery fire on Gan Yavne, Bitzaron
and Hatzor.
The Negev Brigade's 9th Battalion meanwhile captured Bir Abu Jabir (a regional water well
), south of Fallujah, which had been defended by a Muslim Brotherhood
platoon.
unit from the navy, subordinated to the 54th's commander. The naval unit advanced through a wadi
from the north, hoping to surprise the Egyptians, but were in fact spotted while preparing to set up. At midnight, they emerged and attacked in two prongs, and despite heavy fire, managed to capture a frontal position and pushed ahead to the center of the village, setting up there and exchanging fire with the Egyptians. By that time, most of its commanders were wounded.
Meanwhile, the Givati company set out from Negba and circled Bayt 'Affa, attacking from the south. They came quietly, but due to lack of intelligence
, were unaware of barbed wire fences in the southern end of the village. They were thus pinned down and failed to advance, and no operational reserve was allocated that could assist them. Seeing this, at 03:00, the battalion commander issued an order to withdraw, and jeeps were brought from Negba to help in this endeavor. However, the naval company was in a dire situation and did not have a viable retreat path. In addition, one of its units did not hear the order. The retreat was therefore disorderly and numerous dead and missing were left in the field. The naval company suffered 19 dead, 3 captured and 28 wounded.
On the same night, Israeli forces set out from Julis to take over Hill 113, just west of Negba. The attack failed and they retreated. A raid was also conducted against Iraq al-Manshiyya
. The Negev Brigade for its part was meant to retake Kawkaba
and Huleiqat
, but had absolutely no intelligence on the Egyptian and Saudi units and their defenses in the area. They attacked Hill 131.2, just northeast of Huleiqat, and Hill 138 (the main position of Huleiqat itself), suffering 21 dead. Seven wounded were rescued after the battle.
at 22:00 on July 17. The company from the 52nd quickly overpowered the Egyptian defenses at Hatta by sending a small force to pin them down while circling the village from the south, competing the mission by midnight.
The 89th's forces moved south to the small airport between Fallujah and Hatta. At 22:30, they encountered small arms fire and them mortar and artillery fire from Fallujah, while making their way across the airport. They stopped at Wadi Mufarar, just south of Karatiyya, which they could not cross. Engineering works were undertaken for several hours until a crossing was created. Meanwhile, the 53rd's company worked on disconnecting the communications between Karatiyya and Fallujah and destroying culvert
s under the road. While the other units were preparing to the south of Karatiyya, the 52nd Battalion's sappers made their way to the road connecting Karatiyya with Iraq Suwaydan and blew up a bridge there. They also set up a roadblock closer to Iraq Suwaydan, and returned to their base. When the company from the 53rd Battalion reached the 89th Battalion, the latter mistook them for Egyptians and opened fire. However, the mistake was quickly discovered and the joint force set out for Karatiyya, taking it at dawn.
They attempted to fortify their positions as best they could, in anticipation of the Egyptian counterattack. Munitions, including anti-tank weapons, were brought through Hatta (as planned) to assist them. The counterattack started at 08:30 on July 18; Egyptian forces at Iraq Suwaydan opened artillery fire on Karatiyya and armored vehicles closed in from Fallujah and Bayt 'Affa to block possible Israeli reinforcements. After minor skirmishes in the morning that yielded no result, the Egyptians staged a major assault in the afternoon, in two prongs, each employing tanks and armored vehicles in front and infantry in the rear. After a tank from the northwestern prong took a hit from an Israeli PIAT
, shot by Ron Feller, the entire northwestern force turned back. Feller got the Hero of Israel
Citation (which later became the Israeli Medal of Valor), one of 12 in the war, for his actions. The southeastern prong subsequently had no choice but to retreat, which they did in an orderly fashion. The second ceasefire of the war came into effect at 19:00 on the same day, stopping further hostilities for the time and ending the Ten Days period of the war.
" between Iraq Suwaydan and Fallujah. The operation ended the Ten Days period of the war, between the first and second ceasefires, with few territorial changes in the south. According to the Egyptian commander in Palestine, Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi
, the situation at the end of this period for the Egyptian army was not good, owing to a lack of ammunition, coordination and morale.
Historian David Tal
attributes the Israeli operational failure to the lack of cooperation between the Givati and Negev brigades and the lack of offensive initiative. Neither the Givati nor Negev brigades got serious manpower boosts to replace their losses, and both were forced to allocate significant forces and resources to static defense. In that light, Tal asserts that the Egyptians succeeded more than the Israelis during the Ten Days, as they mostly achieved their aim of strengthening the wedge between the Negev and the rest of Israel, linking up their own forces in the Bethlehem–Hebron area to the coastal ones.
The Israelis captured almost all the areas fought for in Operation Death to the Invader in Operation Yoav
. The internal Negev road from Julis
to Bror Hayil
through Kawkaba and Huleiqat was taken on October 17–20, 1948 by Givati's 52nd and 54th battalions. Upon taking Huleiqat, the Israelis discovered a mass grave where the Egyptians buried Israeli casualties of the failed July 17–18 Negev Brigade attack.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i military operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was carried out on July 16–18, 1948 in the northwestern Negev
Negev
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'...
desert. The operation's objective was to link Jewish villages in the Negev desert with the rest of Israel, after this aim was not achieved in Operation An-Far
Operation An-Far
Operation An-Far was a military operation launched by Israel's Givati Brigade on the night of July 8–9 during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its objectives were to gain control of approaches in southern Judea and block the advance of the Egyptian army...
that ended on July 15. The Egyptians blocked Israeli access to its Negev villages during the first truce of the war (June 11 – July 8), by taking up positions on the Majdal
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
– Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin was a Palestinian Arab village located northwest of the city of Hebron. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or , of which were built-up while the rest remained farmland.The early inhabitants of Bayt Jibrin are the Canaanites...
road, where most of the battles of Death to the Invaders were fought.
The operation started with a series of raids on Egyptian bases and Palestinian Arab villages on July 16–17, including Jilya
Jilya
Jilya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. The Romans referred to it as Jilya by Galla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War by the Givati Brigade of the first stage of Operation Dani on July 9, 1948. It was located 17 km south of Ramla.A 1596 census revealed...
, Qazaza
Qazaza
Qazaza was a Palestinian village, located south of Ramla. It was depopulated in 1948.-History:A European traveler reported that he passed Qazaza in the 1860s on his way to examine a nearby tell. The villagers of Qazaza, who were predominantly Muslim, maintained a village mosque and some owned...
, Idnibba
Idnibba
Idnibba was a Palestinian village, located at latitude 31.7426937N and longitude 34.8561001,E in the southern part of Ramla district. It was depopulated in 1948, at which time its population was 568, and its lands are now used by Kfar Menahem.-History:...
, Mughallis
Mughallis
Mughallis was a Palestinian Arab village located northwest of Hebron. In 1945, it had a population of 540. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War between July 9-10, 1948 as part of Operation An-Far.-External links:*...
, Zayta, Isdud and Bayt Jibrin. It was followed on July 17–18 by assaults on Bayt 'Affa
Bayt 'Affa
Bayt 'Affa was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on January 10, 1948 as part of Operation Barak. It was located 29 km northeast of Gaza and Wadi al-Rana ran east of the village.The village had a...
, Hill 113, Kawkaba
Kawkaba
Kawkaba , known to the Crusaders as Coquebel, was an Palestinian village that was captured by Israel during Operation Yoav during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and depopulated.-Location:...
and Huleiqat
Hulayqat
Hulayqat was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 12, 1948 under Operation Barak. It was located 20.5 km northeast of Gaza.The population in 1945 was 420...
, which all failed. Finally, on July 18, the Israelis captured Hatta and Karatiyya
Karatiyya
Karatiyya was a Palestinian Arab village of 1,370, located northeast of Gaza, situated in a flat area with an elevation of along the coastal plain of Palestine and crossed by Wadi al-Mufrid.-History:...
, successfully fending off a last-minute Egyptian counterattack before the second truce of the war went into effect.
Background
Jewish settlement efforts in the northern Negev desert, such as the Three lookoutsThree lookouts
The three lookouts were three Jewish settlements built in the Negev desert in 1943 on land owned by the Jewish National Fund. The goal was securing the land and assessing its feasibility for agriculture...
(1943) and the 11 points in the Negev
11 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:...
(October 1946), created a reality whereby a large Jewish enclave existed within predominantly Arab-inhabited territory. The latter effort was a response to the Morrison–Grady Plan for the partition of Palestine, and was instrumental in the final decision of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine was formed in May 1947 in response to a United Kingdom government request that the General Assembly "make recommendations under article 10 of the Charter, concerning the future government of Palestine"...
for the Palestine Partition Plan.
The Egyptian Army invaded Israel on May 15, 1948, following Israel's declaration of independence on the previous day. They attacked Nirim
Nirim
Nirim is a kibbutz in the northwestern Negev in Israel. Located near the border with the Gaza Strip, about 7 kilometers east of Khan Yunis, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council...
and 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...
at first, and their main column advanced up 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...
northwards. On May 19, they attacked
Battle of Yad Mordechai
The Battle of Yad Mordechai was fought between Egypt and Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, at the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai. The Egyptians attacked the communal village several times throughout May 19 and May 20, but failed to capture it...
Yad Mordechai
Yad Mordechai
Yad Mordechai is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located 10 km south of Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 710.-History:...
, and stopped at the Sukreir Bridge
Ad Halom
Ad Halom is a site at the eastern entrance to the city of Ashdod, Israel.-Battle:Ad Halom refers to the northernmost point reached by the Egyptian army in Operation Pleshet, one of the battles of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War....
on May 29, where they dug in following the Israeli Operation Pleshet
Operation Pleshet
Operation Pleshet , named for the geographical region where it took place, was an Israeli military operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was carried out from May 29 to June 3, 1948, in the Isdud/Ad Halom area of the southern front, against the Egyptian Army. The aim of the operation was to...
. From that point until the first truce of the war, they attacked several wholly or partially-surrounded Jewish villages, including Negba
Negba
Negba is a kibbutz in the northern Negev, Israel. Located near the cities of Kiryat Malakhi and Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Yoav Regional Council...
(June 2) and Nitzanim
Nitzanim
Nitzanim is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located between Ashkelon and Ashdod on the Nitzanim dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 343....
(June 7).
Up to the start of the second stage of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Negev enclave was linked to the rest of the Jewish-held areas by a narrow waist between Bror Hayil
Bror Hayil
Bror Hayil is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Sderot, it fall under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 462....
and Negba through Kawkaba, Huleiqat and the internal Negev road, taken by Jewish forces in Operation Barak
Operation Barak
Operation Barak was a Haganah offensive launched just before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. It was part of Plan Dalet. Its objective was to capture villages North of Gaza in anticipation of the arrival of the Egyptian army...
on May 12, 1948. The waist was overlooked by the Iraq Suwaydan police fort
Tegart fort
A Tegart fort is a style of militarized police "fortress" constructed throughout Palestine during the British Mandatory period.The forts are named after British police officer and engineer Sir Charles Tegart, who designed them in 1938 based on his experiences in the Indian insurgency.Tens of the...
, which was handed over by the British to the Egyptian 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...
forces also on May 12, even before Egypt officially entered the war. Up to the first truce of the war on June 11, Israeli convoys could safely pass through the Negev road, but in the beginning of the truce, Egypt fortified themselves along the east–west Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road and disconnected the enclave from the rest of Israel.
Prelude and Operation An-Far
With the anticipated end to the first truce of the war on July 9, 1948, each side planned its own offensives in the Majdal – FallujahAl-Faluja
al-Faluja was an Arab village in the British Mandate of Palestine, located 30 kilometers northeast of Gaza City. The village and the neighbouring village of Iraq al-Manshiyya formed part of the Faluja pocket, where 4,000 Egyptian troops were besieged for four months by the newly established Israel...
– Bayt Jibrin area. The Israeli plan was called Operation An-Far (short for Anti-Farouk
Farouk of Egypt
Farouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
), and its objective was to open up a permanent supply route to the Negev enclave. Another objective was to sever Egypt's supply route from the main concentration along the coastal road to the secondary one in the area of Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
and Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. The Egyptians, for their part, sought to widen their narrow waist and relieve the forces along the coast of the Israeli threat.
The Egyptians, attacking at 06:00 on July 8, before the formal end of the ceasefire, managed to preempt
Preemptive war
A preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending war before that threat materializes. It is a war which preemptively 'breaks the peace'. The term: 'preemptive war' is...
Israel and quickly captured Kawkaba and Huleiqat. Additional assaults on Israeli positions in Beit Daras
Beit Daras
Bayt Daras was a Palestinian Arab town located on the Lachish River, northeast of Gaza and approximately above sea level, which was depopulated in 1948.-History:...
, Julis
Julis, Gaza
Julis was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza located northeast of Gaza on a slight elevation along the southern coastal plain. In 1945, there were 1,030 inhabitants in the village. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War....
and Negba were repelled. The Israeli operation was started on the night of July 8–9, when the Givati Brigade
Givati Brigade
The Givati Brigade is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets...
set out in two forces (east and south) to attack Egyptian and local Arab forces. The eastern wing took Masmiyya
Al-Masmiyya al-Kabira
Al-Masmiyya al-Kabira was a Palestinian village in the District of Gaza, located northeast of Gaza. With a land area of 20,687 dunams, the village site was situated on an elevation of along the coastal plain. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
, Qastina
Qastina
Qastina was a Palestinian village, located 38 kilometers northeast of Gaza City. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.-Location:...
, Tina
Al-Tina
Al-Tina was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 8, 1948 by the Givati Brigade under Operation An-Far. It was located 20.5 km south of Ramla....
and Tell es-Safi
Tell es-Safi
Gath, Gat, or Geth , often referred to as Gath of the Philistines, was one of the five Philistine city-states, established in northwestern Philistia. According to the Bible, the king of the city was Achish, in the times of Saul, David, and Solomon. It is not certain whether this refers to two or...
. The southern wing took Ibdis
Ibdis
Ibdis was a Palestinian village in the District of Gaza, located northeast of Gaza City. It was situated on flat ground on the coastal plain at an elevation of above sea level, and bordered by a wadi that bore its name on its eastern side...
and the village of Iraq Suwaydan. A simultaneous attack by 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...
on the Iraq Suwaydan police fort failed.
Hostilities resumed on July 10–11, when Givati raided Isdud, and the Egyptian army staged a failed counterattack on Tell es-Safi. They did however take the Husseima position overlooking 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...
Gal On
Gal On
Gal On is a kibbutz in Israel's southern lowlands associated with the Hashomer Hatzair movement and its Kibbutz Artzi settlement organisation . Established as part of the 1946 11 points in the Negev settlement drive, it is located approximately ten kilometers north east of Kiryat Gat and two...
. Another Egyptian attack on Julis was also repelled. The biggest Egyptian thrust came on July 12, when it sent a reinforced brigade to Negba, Ibdis and Julis, with a disastrous result that, along with the Egyptian army's ammunition shortage, turned the tide clearly in Israel's favor. On July 12–14, Givati fought for and recaptured Hill 105 next to Negba, and repelled an Egyptian attack on Barqa. On July 13–14, Israeli units blew up a bridge next to Bayt Jibrin and on July 14, repelled an Egyptian attack on Gal On. On July 14–15, the sides waged a seesaw battle for Hatta and Bayt 'Affa.
Although exhausted from seven days of fighting and not accomplishing their objectives, IDF units in the area achieved a measure of success and started preparations to exploit it. The General Staff feared that the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
would impose a ceasefire while the Negev was disconnected, as the exact date of the truce had not been known yet, with the UNSC meeting taking place on July 16, two days after the General Staff meeting. The General Staff therefore ordered a last-ditch effort to break through, reinforcing the Givati Brigade with Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
's 89th Mechanized Assault Battalion of the 8th Brigade and units from the Israel Navy. While the objective of Death to the Invader was essentially the same as that of An-Far, the method in which it was meant to be carried out was different—while in An-Far, the connection with the Negev would be made on the internal road, between Julis and Bureir
Burayr
Burayr was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza, northeast of Gaza City. Its population in 1945 was 2,740 and it was depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It had an average elevation of .-History:...
, in Death to the Invader it would be between Iraq Suwaydan and Fallujah, through Karatiyya.
Raids of July 16–17
Operation Death to the Invader in fact started with advances against Palestinian Arab localities, not Egyptians. On the night of July 16–17, IDF units set out from Masmiyya, Tell es-Safi and Kfar MenahemKfar Menahem
Kfar Menahem is a kibbutz in Israel located about 7 km east of Kiryat Malakhi in south-central Israel. It falls under the jurisdiction of Yoav Regional Council....
to clear their flanks. They mainly captured villages which were depopulated after the fall of Tell es-Safi: Jilya
Jilya
Jilya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. The Romans referred to it as Jilya by Galla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War by the Givati Brigade of the first stage of Operation Dani on July 9, 1948. It was located 17 km south of Ramla.A 1596 census revealed...
, Qazaza
Qazaza
Qazaza was a Palestinian village, located south of Ramla. It was depopulated in 1948.-History:A European traveler reported that he passed Qazaza in the 1860s on his way to examine a nearby tell. The villagers of Qazaza, who were predominantly Muslim, maintained a village mosque and some owned...
, Idnibba
Idnibba
Idnibba was a Palestinian village, located at latitude 31.7426937N and longitude 34.8561001,E in the southern part of Ramla district. It was depopulated in 1948, at which time its population was 568, and its lands are now used by Kfar Menahem.-History:...
and Mughallis
Mughallis
Mughallis was a Palestinian Arab village located northwest of Hebron. In 1945, it had a population of 540. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War between July 9-10, 1948 as part of Operation An-Far.-External links:*...
. The southern wing took Zayta and staged a raid on Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin was a Palestinian Arab village located northwest of the city of Hebron. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or , of which were built-up while the rest remained farmland.The early inhabitants of Bayt Jibrin are the Canaanites...
. At the same time, forces from Gan Yavne
Gan Yavne
Gan Yavne is a in the Center District of Israel, located adjacent to the city of Ashdod. It was founded in 1931 and declared a local council in 1950.Gan Yavne lies east of the Tel-Aviv–Ashkelon highway...
circled Wadi Sukreir and raided the Sukreir Bridge. The Egyptians returned artillery fire on Gan Yavne, Bitzaron
Bitzaron
Bitzaron is a moshav in the South District of Israel and part of the Be'er Tuvia Regional Council. It is located on local road 3811, between Gan Yavne and Bnei Ayish. The moshav's population is approximately 1,000, and its area is about 5,000 dunams ....
and Hatzor.
The Negev Brigade's 9th Battalion meanwhile captured Bir Abu Jabir (a regional water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
), south of Fallujah, which had been defended by 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...
platoon.
Battles of July 17–18
Beit 'Affa, located about 2 km east of Negba, was defended by a well-entrenched Egyptian unit. On the night of July 17–18, Israel attacked in the strength of two companies: one from the 54th Battalion of Givati, and the other an amphibious assaultAmphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
unit from the navy, subordinated to the 54th's commander. The naval unit advanced through a wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
from the north, hoping to surprise the Egyptians, but were in fact spotted while preparing to set up. At midnight, they emerged and attacked in two prongs, and despite heavy fire, managed to capture a frontal position and pushed ahead to the center of the village, setting up there and exchanging fire with the Egyptians. By that time, most of its commanders were wounded.
Meanwhile, the Givati company set out from Negba and circled Bayt 'Affa, attacking from the south. They came quietly, but due to lack of intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
, were unaware of barbed wire fences in the southern end of the village. They were thus pinned down and failed to advance, and no operational reserve was allocated that could assist them. Seeing this, at 03:00, the battalion commander issued an order to withdraw, and jeeps were brought from Negba to help in this endeavor. However, the naval company was in a dire situation and did not have a viable retreat path. In addition, one of its units did not hear the order. The retreat was therefore disorderly and numerous dead and missing were left in the field. The naval company suffered 19 dead, 3 captured and 28 wounded.
On the same night, Israeli forces set out from Julis to take over Hill 113, just west of Negba. The attack failed and they retreated. A raid was also conducted against Iraq al-Manshiyya
Iraq al-Manshiyya
Iraq al-Manshiyya is a former Palestinian town located 32 km northeast of Gaza City. Its total land area consisted of 13,838 dunams. According to the British Mandate, the town had a population of 2,010 Arabs and 210 Jews in 1945...
. The Negev Brigade for its part was meant to retake Kawkaba
Kawkaba
Kawkaba , known to the Crusaders as Coquebel, was an Palestinian village that was captured by Israel during Operation Yoav during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and depopulated.-Location:...
and Huleiqat
Hulayqat
Hulayqat was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 12, 1948 under Operation Barak. It was located 20.5 km northeast of Gaza.The population in 1945 was 420...
, but had absolutely no intelligence on the Egyptian and Saudi units and their defenses in the area. They attacked Hill 131.2, just northeast of Huleiqat, and Hill 138 (the main position of Huleiqat itself), suffering 21 dead. Seven wounded were rescued after the battle.
Battles of Hatta and Karatiyya
While naval and 54th Battalion units were fighting at Bayt 'Affa, the 52nd, 53rd and 89th battalions set out to capture Hatta and Karatiyya. The mission of taking Hatta was given to a company from Givati's 52nd Battalion, and for Karatiyya, the IDF sent the 89th Battalion, a company from the 53rd, and a number of sappers and commandos from the 52nd to block possible reinforcements. The forces left their staging area at JusayrJusayr
Jusayr was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 17, 1948 under Operation Barak or Operation Yo'av. It was located 35 km northeast of Gaza....
at 22:00 on July 17. The company from the 52nd quickly overpowered the Egyptian defenses at Hatta by sending a small force to pin them down while circling the village from the south, competing the mission by midnight.
The 89th's forces moved south to the small airport between Fallujah and Hatta. At 22:30, they encountered small arms fire and them mortar and artillery fire from Fallujah, while making their way across the airport. They stopped at Wadi Mufarar, just south of Karatiyya, which they could not cross. Engineering works were undertaken for several hours until a crossing was created. Meanwhile, the 53rd's company worked on disconnecting the communications between Karatiyya and Fallujah and destroying culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
s under the road. While the other units were preparing to the south of Karatiyya, the 52nd Battalion's sappers made their way to the road connecting Karatiyya with Iraq Suwaydan and blew up a bridge there. They also set up a roadblock closer to Iraq Suwaydan, and returned to their base. When the company from the 53rd Battalion reached the 89th Battalion, the latter mistook them for Egyptians and opened fire. However, the mistake was quickly discovered and the joint force set out for Karatiyya, taking it at dawn.
They attempted to fortify their positions as best they could, in anticipation of the Egyptian counterattack. Munitions, including anti-tank weapons, were brought through Hatta (as planned) to assist them. The counterattack started at 08:30 on July 18; Egyptian forces at Iraq Suwaydan opened artillery fire on Karatiyya and armored vehicles closed in from Fallujah and Bayt 'Affa to block possible Israeli reinforcements. After minor skirmishes in the morning that yielded no result, the Egyptians staged a major assault in the afternoon, in two prongs, each employing tanks and armored vehicles in front and infantry in the rear. After a tank from the northwestern prong took a hit from an Israeli PIAT
PIAT
The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank was a British hand-held anti-tank weapon developed during the Second World War. The PIAT was designed in 1942 in response to the British Army's need for a more effective infantry anti-tank weapon, and entered service in 1943.The PIAT was based on the spigot...
, shot by Ron Feller, the entire northwestern force turned back. Feller got the Hero of Israel
Hero of Israel
Hero of Israel is an Israeli military decoration that was awarded during the War of Independence.When the IDF was first established in May 1948, a system of decorations had not yet been instituted, but many soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle were recommended by their officers for...
Citation (which later became the Israeli Medal of Valor), one of 12 in the war, for his actions. The southeastern prong subsequently had no choice but to retreat, which they did in an orderly fashion. The second ceasefire of the war came into effect at 19:00 on the same day, stopping further hostilities for the time and ending the Ten Days period of the war.
Aftermath
While the Israelis were successful in several attacks, most notably in Hatta and Karatiyya, the main objective of linking up the Negev and Givati areas was not reached, and going into the second truce, the Negev villages remained an enclave surrounded by Egyptian positions. However, the capture of Hatta and Karatiyya, to the south of the Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road, forced the Egyptians to create a "Burma RoadBurma Road (Israel)
The Israeli "Burma Road" was a makeshift bypass road between the general vicinity of kibbutz Hulda and Jerusalem. It was built by Israeli forces headed by general Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem...
" between Iraq Suwaydan and Fallujah. The operation ended the Ten Days period of the war, between the first and second ceasefires, with few territorial changes in the south. According to the Egyptian commander in Palestine, Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi
Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi
Ahmed Abdullah Al-Mwawi , also Mawawi or Muwawi, was a Major General in the Egyptian Army. He served as the General Commander of the Egyptian expeditionary force during 1948 Arab–Israeli War....
, the situation at the end of this period for the Egyptian army was not good, owing to a lack of ammunition, coordination and morale.
Historian David Tal
David Tal (historian)
David Tal is an Israeli historian and professor. Since 2009, he has been the Kahanoff Chair in Israeli Studies at the University of Calgary, Canada. He is an expert on Israel's security and diplomatic history, as well as U.S...
attributes the Israeli operational failure to the lack of cooperation between the Givati and Negev brigades and the lack of offensive initiative. Neither the Givati nor Negev brigades got serious manpower boosts to replace their losses, and both were forced to allocate significant forces and resources to static defense. In that light, Tal asserts that the Egyptians succeeded more than the Israelis during the Ten Days, as they mostly achieved their aim of strengthening the wedge between the Negev and the rest of Israel, linking up their own forces in the Bethlehem–Hebron area to the coastal ones.
The Israelis captured almost all the areas fought for in Operation Death to the Invader in Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Egyptian forces along the coast and the Beersheba–Hebron–Jerusalem road and ultimately to conquer the whole Negev...
. The internal Negev road from Julis
Julis, Gaza
Julis was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza located northeast of Gaza on a slight elevation along the southern coastal plain. In 1945, there were 1,030 inhabitants in the village. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War....
to Bror Hayil
Bror Hayil
Bror Hayil is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Sderot, it fall under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 462....
through Kawkaba and Huleiqat was taken on October 17–20, 1948 by Givati's 52nd and 54th battalions. Upon taking Huleiqat, the Israelis discovered a mass grave where the Egyptians buried Israeli casualties of the failed July 17–18 Negev Brigade attack.