89 Are Slain In Palestine Assaults

United Press, Jerusalem

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“Jerusalem —(U.P.)— Four major clashes that included some hand-to-hand fighting erupted in the Holy Land over the week-end, leaving 72 Arabs and 17 Jews dead, Jewish sources said Monday. The heaviest fighting was in the southern desert region around Gaza, where the Haganah militia reported 40 Arabs and Jews killed in two battles.

Armored Column. The fighting broke out Saturday night when a Jewish column of armored supply trucks attempted to lift a two weeks Arab siege of the Jewish settlement of Gat in the Negev desert region. The Jewish convoy was attacked by Arabs at Faluja, northeast of Gaza. The convoy broke through, with 10 Arabs and seven Jews reported killed.

The Jews returned early Sunday and demolished the village, blowing up the three-story city hall and 10 other buildings on both sides of the road.

Seige Reported Lifted. In the fighting here, and in other fighting around Gat, 30 Arabs and seven Jews were reported killed. Haganah claimed that the siege of Gat was lifted and that agricultural produce from the area was shipped to Tel Aviv for the first time Sunday.

Haganah also claimed that its squads raided the Arab village of Ein Ghazal, 11 miles south of Haifa, and occupied the town for two hours Sunday night. Twelve Arabs were reported killed in the raid.”

Context added by this archive

Every figure in the story is attributed to one side: “Jewish sources said,” “the Haganah militia reported,” “Haganah claimed.” The demolition of Faluja is reported in a single sentence. “Seige” is the paper’s.

Cite this clipping

"89 Are Slain In Palestine Assaults," Jackson Citizen Patriot, 15 March 1948, p. 1. Covering Palestine archive, CP-1948-007. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-1948-007