Key Facts
- Dates
- 5–16 April 1948
- Duration
- 11 days
- Objective
- Open the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem road to relieve besieged Jerusalem
- Part of
- Plan Dalet
- Units involved
- Haganah Givati Brigade and Palmach (later Harel Brigade)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Conducted from 5 to 16 April 1948, the operation deployed the Givati Brigade and Palmach units — later reorganized as the Harel Brigade — to seize villages along the Jerusalem corridor and force open the road. The operation included the controversial Deir Yassin massacre on 9 April. Although the road was temporarily opened and supplies reached Jerusalem, full control proved elusive, leading to subsequent failed attempts to hold the route.
01 / The Origins
During the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, Palestinian Arab forces blockaded the road connecting Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, cutting off supplies and arms to the Jewish community there. The Haganah, needing to break the siege, launched Operation Nachshon as the first major offensive action under Plan Dalet, a strategic shift from defensive posture to active seizure of territory and road corridors vital to Jewish population centers.
03 / The Outcome
The operation succeeded in briefly relieving Jerusalem but could not permanently secure the road. Ongoing Arab resistance led the Haganah to construct the Burma Road, a makeshift bypass route, as an alternative supply line. The participating units reorganized into the Harel Brigade. The operation established the template for Plan Dalet's subsequent offensive phases and marked a decisive escalation in the scale of Haganah military activity.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.