| Ein Ofarim killings | |
|---|---|
| Part of Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency | |
  class=notpageimage| The location of Hatzeva, Israel | |
| Native name | הפיגוע בעין עופרים |
| Location | Ein Ofarim facility near Hatzeva, Southern Israel |
| Date | 12 September 1956; 68 years ago (1956-09-12) |
| Attack type | Stabbing attack |
| Weapons | Knives |
| Deaths | 3 Israelis |
| Perpetrators | Palestinian Fedayeen squad |
| Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency | |
|---|---|
| Early engagements
1954–55 incidents
1956 incidents | |
| Reprisal operations |
The Ein Ofarim killings was an attack by Palestinian Fedayeen, which occurred on Wednesday night, 12 September 1956.
The attack
On Wednesday night, 12 September 1956, a Palestinian Fedayeen squad infiltrated into Israel from Jordan. The militants attacked the Ein Ofarim oil-drilling camp near the village Hatzeva, while other personnel were out of the camp for grocery shopping. They killed 3 Druze watchmen, one in his room. The bodies of the guards were stabbed and their guns were stolen by the attackers.
Victims
The three victims, Nawaf Abu-Ghazi (25 years), Suleiman Hatoum (25 years) and Rafik Abdullah (23 years), were buried in their hometown of Sumei. They were commemorated on Mount Herzl.
Aftermath
With consulting his Cabinet, the Israeli Prime Minister decided on a reprisal raid. Since the nearest Jordanian police fort was 'topologically difficult', the police fort 80 kilometers away at Gharandal was chosen. During the operation, either 9 or 13 Jordanian police and members of a desert camel patrol unit were killed, along with two civilians. IDF casualties in the operation included one dead soldier and 12 wounded soldiers. The police station and nearby structures were destroyed.
References
- "Israel Cites Jordan Raid". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. No. 345. United Press. 14 September 1956. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Ad, Meshulam (14 September 1956). "עקבות רוצחי השומרים הובילו לגבול הירדני" [The traces of the murderers of the guards led to the Jordanian border]. Davar. p. 1 – via National Library of Israel.
- Eilam, Uzi (2020). פשיטה לילית [Night Raid]. Miskal Publishing. pp. 47, 193, 292. ISBN 9789652011305.
- ^ Morris, Benny (1993). Israel's Border Wars, 1949–1956. Oxford University Press. pp. 409–410. ISBN 0-19-829262-7.
- Gabbai, Sheffi (18 September 1964). "ישן וחדש בנופי ישראל" [Old and new in the landscapes of Israel]. Davar. p. 3 – via National Library of Israel.
- Shai, Nachman, ed. (1988). ביטחון 50: צה"ל, קהיליית המודיעין, משרד הביטחון [Security 50: The IDF, the intelligence community, the Ministry of Defense]. Alfa Tikshoret. p. 20. ISBN 9789654740074.
- ^ "חללי פעולות האיבה: אזרחים חללי פעולות איבה" [Victims of hostilities: Civilians victims of hostilities]. Bituah Leumi.
- Israeli, Raphael (2002). Jerusalem Divided: The Armistice Regime, 1947-1967. Routledge. p. 82. ISBN 9780714652665.
| Prominent terrorist attacks against Israelis in the history of the Arab–Israeli conflict – the 1950s | |
|---|---|
| 1953 |
|
| 1954 |
|
| 1956 |
|
Attacks launched from Jordan Attacks launched from Egypt
 1960s | |
| Prominent Palestinian militancy attacks in the 1950s | |
|---|---|
| Within Israel |
|
| Attacks launched from Jordan Attacks launched from Egypt
1960s | |
- Terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians before 1967
- 1956 murders in Israel
- Terrorist attacks attributed to Palestinian militant groups
- Knife attacks in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Mass stabbings in Israel
- Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency
- History of the Druze
- Druze community in Israel
- Terrorist incidents in Israel in 1956
- September 1956 events in Asia
- Mass murder in 1956
- 20th-century mass murder in Israel
- Jordan in the Arab–Israeli conflict