Ramat Rahel Falls to the Egyptians
After three days of intense attacks on the kibbutz by Egyptian troops, with great destruction and heavy losses, control of the kibbutz passed from one side to the other, until at last it fell to the enemy.
The bombardment of Kibbutz Ramat Rahel began on May 19. It went on for three days. The bombardment caused casualties, and very severe damage to the buildings and their contents, and to the livestock. At first, the kibbutz was defended only by its male members; the women and children had been evacuated earlier. On May 22, after three days of heavy bombardment, during which fires had broken out all over the kibbutz, the Arabs succeeded in occupying the site. Those defenders who were injured were evacuated to Jerusalem. The Arabs began advancing towards the Jewish neighborhood of Arnona.
That same evening, units of the Hagana left Jerusalem, accompanied by a squad of the Irgun Zvai Leumi.They counterattacked, and after a short battle, succeeded in regaining control of the kibbutz. In the two days following, the kibbutz suffered repeated fierce attacks and counter-attacks; control passed from side to side no less than three times. Eventually the Arabs gained control of most of the area. Thirteen of the defenders had been killed, and dozens wounded. Among the wounded were the crew of a Hagana armored vehicle which, while on its way from Arnona to Ramat Rahel, was hit by an Arab anti-tank shell.
At this point, the Jewish civil authorities in Jerusalem asked Yitzhak Rabin, commander of the “Harel” brigade, to intervene to save Ramat Rahel, and avert the threat to Jerusalem from the south, from the Egyptian army and the Arab Legion. Rabin agreed to accept responsibility for the sector for a period of twenty-four hours. He assigned the task to the Palmach’s Fifth Battalion.
That same evening, units of the Hagana left Jerusalem, accompanied by a squad of the Irgun Zvai Leumi.They counterattacked, and after a short battle, succeeded in regaining control of the kibbutz. In the two days following, the kibbutz suffered repeated fierce attacks and counter-attacks; control passed from side to side no less than three times. Eventually the Arabs gained control of most of the area. Thirteen of the defenders had been killed, and dozens wounded. Among the wounded were the crew of a Hagana armored vehicle which, while on its way from Arnona to Ramat Rahel, was hit by an Arab anti-tank shell.
At this point, the Jewish civil authorities in Jerusalem asked Yitzhak Rabin, commander of the “Harel” brigade, to intervene to save Ramat Rahel, and avert the threat to Jerusalem from the south, from the Egyptian army and the Arab Legion. Rabin agreed to accept responsibility for the sector for a period of twenty-four hours. He assigned the task to the Palmach’s Fifth Battalion.