The deadliest Egyptian air attack of the 1948 war killed 42 civilians at a crowded Tel Aviv bus station and spurred volunteer pilots to join Israel's forces.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- May 18, 1948
- Deaths
- 42 people
- Injured
- Over 100 people
- Aircraft used
- Egyptian C-47s
- Bomb type reported
- 50-pound fragmentation bomb
- Total Tel Aviv campaign deaths
- 150 people
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Four days after Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, Egypt joined the Arab–Israeli War and launched a bombing campaign against Tel Aviv. Egyptian forces targeted civilian and strategic sites in the city as part of broader military operations against the newly established state.
On May 18, 1948, Royal Egyptian Air Force C-47 aircraft bombed the Old Tel Aviv central bus station, which was crowded with passengers at the time. A 50-pound fragmentation bomb struck the building, killing 42 people — including four employees of the Dan Bus Company — and injuring more than 100 others.
The attack was the deadliest single Egyptian air strike of the war and caused widespread outrage among Israelis, who demanded retaliatory strikes against Egypt. The bombing motivated several foreign volunteer pilots, including Lou Lenart, to enlist and fight on Israel's behalf, influencing the early development of the Israeli Air Force.