Operation Barak
Encyclopedia
Operation Barak was a Haganah
offensive launched just before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. It was part of Plan Dalet
. Its objective was to capture villages North of Gaza in anticipation of the arrival of the Egyptian army. It was undertaken by the newly formed Giv'ati brigade, commanded by Shimon Avidan
.
s objectives as: "To deny the enemy a base ... creating general panic and breaking his morale ... cause the flight of the inhabitants of the smaller settlements in the area." Commander Avidan's instructions were: "You will determine alone, in consultation with your Arab affair advisers and Intelligence Service officer, the villages in your zone that should be occupied, cleaned up or destroyed." According to historian Benny Morris
, Avidan preferred the latter option.
As a prelude, the Giv'ati brigade's first action took place on 4 May 1948 when the brigade occupied 'Aqir
, south west of al-Ramle, population 2,480.
was launched on 9 May with Bayt Daras being subjected to mortar bombardment prior to being occupied. Subsequently village houses were blown up. A second round of attacks were launched on 15 May.
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
offensive launched just before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. It was part of Plan Dalet
Plan Dalet
Plan Dalet, or Plan D, was a plan worked out by the Haganah, a Jewish paramilitary group and the forerunner of the Israel Defense Forces, in Palestine in autumn 1947 to spring 1948. Its purpose is much debated...
. Its objective was to capture villages North of Gaza in anticipation of the arrival of the Egyptian army. It was undertaken by the newly formed Giv'ati brigade, commanded by Shimon Avidan
Shimon Avidan
Shimon Avidan , born Shimon Koch , was an Israeli soldier and officer, the commander of the Givati Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war....
.
Background
Operational orders defined the Giv'ati brigadeBrigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s objectives as: "To deny the enemy a base ... creating general panic and breaking his morale ... cause the flight of the inhabitants of the smaller settlements in the area." Commander Avidan's instructions were: "You will determine alone, in consultation with your Arab affair advisers and Intelligence Service officer, the villages in your zone that should be occupied, cleaned up or destroyed." According to historian Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
, Avidan preferred the latter option.
As a prelude, the Giv'ati brigade's first action took place on 4 May 1948 when the brigade occupied 'Aqir
Aqir
Aqir was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramle located 9 km southwest of Ramla and 1 km north of Wadi al-Nasufiyya .-History:...
, south west of al-Ramle, population 2,480.
Operation
The offensiveOffensive (military)
An offensive is a military operation that seeks through aggressive projection of armed force to occupy territory, gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational or tactical goal...
was launched on 9 May with Bayt Daras being subjected to mortar bombardment prior to being occupied. Subsequently village houses were blown up. A second round of attacks were launched on 15 May.
Aftermath
Two months later the Giv'ati brigade carried out a further operation in this area capturing at least 16 villages and creating 'more than 20,000' refugees.Arab communities captured during Operation Barak
| Name | Date | Defending forces | Brigade | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqir Aqir Aqir was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramle located 9 km southwest of Ramla and 1 km north of Wadi al-Nasufiyya .-History:... |
4 May 1948 | 'hostages taken' | Giv'ati | 2,480 |
| Qatra Qatra Qatra was a Palestinian Arab village located southwest of the city of Ramla and west of Jerusalem, some above sea level.- History :Qatra was a Canaanite center of political and economic authority that along with 30 other urban sites in regions bordering the Mediterranean sea, entered a period... |
6 May 1948 | villagers | Giv'ati | 1,210 |
| Bayt Darra | 10 May 1948 | n/a | Giv'ati | 2,750 |
| 'Arab Suqrir | 10 May 1948 | n/a | Giv'ati | 390 |
| Barqa | 10-13 May | n/a | Giv'ati | 890 |
| Burayr Burayr Burayr was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza, northeast of Gaza City. Its population in 1945 was 2,740 and it was depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It had an average elevation of .-History:... |
12 May 1948 | n/a | Negev Negev Brigade The 12th Negev Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade that served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It was commanded by Nahum "Sergei" Sarig and consisted of four Palmach battalions... |
2,740 |
| Al-Sawafir al-Shamaliyya Al-Sawafir al-Shamaliyya Al-Sawafir al-Shamaliyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza, located northeast of Gaza situated along the southern coastal plain of Palestine above sea level. It had a population of 680 in 1945... |
12 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 680 |
| Bashshit Bashshit Bashshit was a Palestinian Arab village located southwest of Ramla about half a mile from Wadi Bashshit. Archaeological artifacts from the village attest to habitation in the Early Islamic period and 12th and 13th centuries CE... |
12 May 1948 | n/a | Giv'ati | 1,620 |
| Khubbayza Khubbayza Khubbayza was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Haifa, located southeast of Haifa. It was situated on hilly terrain, south of Wadi al-Sindiyana, between the Jezreel Valley with the Mediterranean coast. In 1945, it had a population of 290... |
12-14 May 1948 | n/a | IZL Irgun The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah... |
290 |
| Najd | 13 May 1948 | n/a | Negev | 620 |
| Al-Batani al-Sharqi Al-Batani al-Sharqi Al-Batani al-Sharqi was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza, located northeast of Gaza situated in the flat terrain on the southern coastal plain of Palestine. It had a population of 650 in 1945... |
13 May 1948 | n/a | Giv'ati | 650 |
| Abu Shusha Abu Shusha Abu Shusha was an Arab village in Palestine, 8 km southeast of Ramle which was depopulated in 1948.Abu Shusha was located on the slope of Tel Jazar, which is commonly identified with the ancient city of Gezer.... |
14 May 1948 | n/a 'population fled' |
Giv'ati | 870 |
| Al-Na'ani Al-Na'ani Al-Na'ani was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramle. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 14, 1948 by the Givati Brigade of Operation Barak. It was located 6 km south of Ramle.... |
14 May 1948 | n/a | Giv'ati | 2,060 inc. 590 Jews |
| Al-Qubab Al-Qubab Al-Qubab was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated in July 1948 during the Operation Dani led by the Yiftach Brigade.-History:... |
15 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 1,980 |
| Simsim Simsim, Gaza Simsim , was a Palestinian village, located northeast of Gaza. It was depopulated just prior to the outbreak of 1948 Arab-Israeli war... |
15 May 1948 | n/a | Negev | 1,360 inc. 70 Jews |
| Al-Maghar Al-Maghar al-Maghar was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated by the Givati Brigade during Operation Barak on 18 May 1948. It was located 12 km southwest of Ramla, situated north of Wadi al-Maghar.... |
15 May 1948 | n/a | Giv'ati | 1,740 |