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Today in History: the battle of Be’erot Yitzhak

Today in 1948, the battle of the Be’erot Yitzhak took place, against the invading Egyptian army.

During July 1948, the 10 day battles between the 2 UN-designated ceasefires took place. On the Negev-Gaza front (were the Israeli villages were isolated and cut off from the center), the fighting was particularly dramatic, and took place in a number of locations: At the end of the line, the people of Kfar Darom (then between Khan Yunis and Rafah), who had been under Arab siege since November 29, returned to Israeli territory to avoid falling captive, and the settlement was occupied by the Egyptian army. While fighting in the Negev region, the Egyptian army tried to attack isolated communities in other places: On July 14, Kibbutz Gal-On was attacked by a relatively small force and was easily defended; on July 15, an Egyptian battalion attacked the isolated Be’erot Yitzhak (then in the area of Nahal Oz; after the war, the kibbutz moved to its present location, near Yehud). The Egyptians managed to break into the Kibbutz and were about to defeat it, but after a heroic battle and Israeli artillery that arrived at the right moment, they were forced to retreat. The defenders suffered 30 dead and wounded, and the Egyptians over 200. On July 16, the IDF began Operation ‘Death to the Invader’, another attempt to breach the Negev, this time from the east. In the villages of the area there were intense battles, with a total of almost 10,000 soldiers on both sides; the IDF was not able to conquer the village of Beit ‘Afeh, but forces under Moshe Dayan’s command managed to conquer Karthiya (in the area of Moshav el-Neve today). Route 35 was cut off, and the connection between the 2 parts of the Egyptian army was on the brink of disconection: But the second truce came into effect, and the road to the Negev was not breached (yet).

Photo Source: Wikipedia

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