The Attack on Gush Ezion

The attack on Kfar Ezion began before dawn on 13.5.48. The enemy attacked simultaneously from several directions, with everything he had. At midday all became quiet --- the attack stopped, as though it had been cut off, but soon it started up again. Arab forces managed to penetrate the settlement. The settlerment’s commander, Avraham Fishgrund, came out to surrender --- and was killed. The commander of the Bloc issued orders to stop fighting, destroy the arms and ammunition, and surrender. A white flag was hung from the water tower, and the defenders began to assemble alongside the monastery. While they were waiting to surrender formally, an armored vehicle appeared and began firing on them. A number of the soldiers present joined in the shooting. The firing increased, and turned into a massacre: 127 people, including 21 women, were murdered. Only four people were left alive.