Two failed Egyptian assaults on Negba kibbutz in 1948 kept the position in Israeli hands, enabling it to serve as a forward base through Operation Yoav.
Key Facts
- First attack date
- June 2, 1948
- Second attack date
- July 12, 1948
- Defenders (first battle)
- 140 personnel
- Kibbutz founded
- 1939
- Egyptian assault strength
- Reinforced battalion with armor, artillery, and aircraft
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Negba kibbutz, founded in 1939, occupied a strategically important position overlooking the Majdal–Bayt Jibrin road in the Negev. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Egyptian forces advancing into Israel identified Negba as a key obstacle and target for elimination to secure their lines of communication and movement.
Egyptian forces launched two major assaults on Negba: the first on June 2, 1948, with a battalion reinforced by armor, artillery, and aircraft, repulsed by roughly 140 defenders aided by the Negev Brigade. The second assault on July 12 involved diversionary attacks on nearby positions and a full encirclement with another reinforced battalion, which was also driven off.
Both Egyptian assaults were defeated and Negba remained under Israeli control. The kibbutz subsequently functioned as a forward base for Israeli offensive operations against Egyptian forces, contributing directly to the strategic conditions leading up to Operation Yoav later in 1948.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent