Israel's capture of Beersheba severed Egyptian supply lines and reinforced its territorial claim to the Negev desert.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 21, 1948
- Operation codename
- Operation Moses
- Attack start time
- 04:00
- Egyptian surrender time
- 09:15
- Israeli units involved
- Negev Brigade and 89th Battalion, 8th Brigade
- Part of
- Operation Yoav, 1948 Arab–Israeli War
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Israeli successes in the Battles of the Separation Corridor, a land route was opened connecting the Negev desert to the rest of Israel. This corridor enabled Israel to project military force into the Negev and mount a direct assault on Beersheba, which held strategic value as a node in Egyptian supply lines.
Beginning at 04:00 on October 21, 1948, Israeli forces comprising the Negev Brigade and the 89th Battalion of the 8th Brigade attacked Beersheba as part of Operation Yoav. The assault lasted approximately five hours and concluded at 09:15 when Egyptian forces surrendered the town's police station, marking the fall of the city.
The capture of Beersheba severed the supply route of the Egyptian expeditionary force's eastern wing, weakening its operational capacity. It also strengthened Israel's political and military claim to the Negev desert, with significant implications for subsequent armistice negotiations and the final borders of the new state.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent