SIEGE IN THE HILLS OF HEBRON - The Battle of the Etzion Bloc

401 sayfa. 14.5x21.5 cm
Some 20 kilometers from Jerusalem, topping high hills between Bethlehem and Hebron and amid numerous Arab villages, were the four kibbutzim of Gush Etzion. The target of attack from the beginning of the campaign, they were reinforced by Haganah and Palmah combatants. Arab attack forces numbered as many as a thousand people at times, and the situation deteriorated. The armed convoys of food, petrol and equipment headed for the Etzion Bloc drew fire and suffered casualties. On January 15, 1948, 35 Haganah members under the command of Danny Mas made their way on foot from Har Tuv (near Beit Shemesh) to resupply Gush Etzion, but there were not enough hours of darkness to get them to their destination. Arab shepherds from Tzurif spotted them at dawn and summoned a large group of armed locals to block their way. The battle lasted all the next day and the soldiers fought to the last bullet until the last of the group was killed at about 4:30 p.m. The Arab attackers mutilated the bodies of "th

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