Ein Ofarim killings
{{Short description|1956 attack on Israeli Druze civilians by Palestinian fedayeen}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox terrorist attack
| title = Ein Ofarim killings
| partof = Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency
| map = {{location map|Israel negev mt|lat_deg=30|lat_min=46|lat_sec=4|lon_deg=35|lon_min=16|lon_sec=49|caption=The location of Hatzeva, Israel}}
| native_name = הפיגוע בעין עופרים
| location = Ein Ofarim facility near Hatzeva, Southern Israel
| caption =
| target =
| date = {{start date and age|1956|9|12|df=yes}}
| native_name_lang = heb
| time-begin =
| time-end =
| timezone =
| type = Stabbing attack
| weapons = Knives
| fatalities = 3 Israelis
| injuries =
| perps = Palestinian Fedayeen squad
}}
{{Campaignbox Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency}}
The Ein Ofarim killings was an attack by Palestinian Fedayeen, which occurred on Wednesday night, 12 September 1956.{{cite news |title=Israel Cites Jordan Raid |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XDEeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3b4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3652,1616220 |access-date=1 November 2022 |work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |agency=United Press |issue=345 |date=14 September 1956 |pages=1–2}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/dav/1956/09/14/01/article/10/|page=1|last=Ad|first=Meshulam|title=עקבות רוצחי השומרים הובילו לגבול הירדני|trans-title=The traces of the murderers of the guards led to the Jordanian border|newspaper=Davar|via=National Library of Israel|date=14 September 1956}}{{cite book|first=Uzi|last=Eilam|author-link=Uzi Eilam|publisher=Miskal Publishing|pages=47, 193, 292|url=https://kotar.cet.ac.il/kotarapp/index/Chapter.aspx?nBookID=108764851&nTocEntryID=108765712|year=2020|trans-title=Night Raid|title=פשיטה לילית|isbn=9789652011305}}
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,{{cite book | first=Benny | last=Morris | title = Israel's Border Wars, 1949–1956 | author-link = Benny Morris | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1993 | isbn = 0-19-829262-7 | pages = 409–410}}{{cite news|date=18 September 1964|title=ישן וחדש בנופי ישראל|trans-title=Old and new in the landscapes of Israel|first=Sheffi|last=Gabbai|url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/dav/1964/09/18/01/article/20/|newspaper=Davar|via=National Library of Israel|page=3}}{{cite book|editor-first=Nachman|editor-last=Shai|editor-link=Nachman Shai|title=ביטחון 50: צה"ל, קהיליית המודיעין, משרד הביטחון|trans-title=Security 50: The IDF, the intelligence community, the Ministry of Defense|publisher=Alfa Tikshoret|year=1988|page=20|isbn=9789654740074 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=63o-AQAAIAAJ}} 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.{{cite web|title=חללי פעולות האיבה: אזרחים חללי פעולות איבה|trans-title=Victims of hostilities: Civilians victims of hostilities|url=https://laad.btl.gov.il/Web/He/TerrorVictims/Default.aspx?lastName=&firstName=&fatherName=&motherName=&place=&year=&month=&day=&yearHeb=&monthHeb=&dayHeb=®ion=%d7%a2%d7%99%d7%9f%20%d7%a2%d7%95%d7%a4%d7%a8%d7%99%d7%9d&period=&grave=|website=Bituah Leumi}}
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.{{cite book |last=Israeli |first=Raphael |author-link=Raphael Israeli |title=Jerusalem Divided: The Armistice Regime, 1947-1967 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6FmhAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |page=82 |isbn=9780714652665}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
{{Terrorist attacks against Israelis in the 1950s}}
{{Palestinian militancy attacks in the 1950s}}
Category:Terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians before 1967
Category:1956 murders in Israel
Category:Terrorist attacks attributed to Palestinian militant groups
Category:Knife attacks in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Category:Mass stabbings in Israel
Category:Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency
Category:Druze community in Israel
Category:Terrorist incidents in Israel in 1956
Category:September 1956 in Asia