The Battle of Nitzanim was the first major Egyptian victory of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and one of the rare instances of Israeli surrender.
Key Facts
- Date
- June 7, 1948
- Israelis who surrendered
- 105 soldiers
- Battle of Hill 69
- June 7–10, 1948, fought nearby
- Egyptian outcome
- First major Egyptian victory of the war
- General Staff verdict
- Surrender deemed justified after probe
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On the night of June 6–7, 1948, Egyptian forces launched an artillery bombardment against the Israeli settlement of Nitzanim, followed by aerial bombardment and coordinated armored and infantry assaults, systematically overwhelming the Israeli defensive positions.
Egyptian forces broke through the main Israeli defensive line at around 11:00 on June 7. Israeli defenders fell back to a second and then a third position by 14:00, and at 16:00, 105 Israeli soldiers surrendered to the Egyptian Army. Between June 7 and 10, a nearby engagement at Hill 69 ended with an Egyptian capture following a disorganized Israeli retreat.
Israelis widely regarded the surrender as a humiliation; the Givati Brigade published a leaflet denouncing the defenders. Residents of Nitzanim demanded an official inquiry, and the General Staff investigation ultimately sided with the defenders, concluding that the surrender had been justified under the circumstances.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent