BATTLE // January 1, 1948
Battle of Hill 86
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Source · Wikipedia
Significance
The Battle of Hill 86 was the opening engagement of Operation Horev and served a deliberate deception function within it. Israeli forces initiated the attack concurrently with a raid on the Arab village of 'Abasan and aerial and naval shelling of the coastal strip. The combined action was designed to mislead Egyptian commanders — including Muhammad Naguib — into believing that the broader Israeli offensive would target the isolation of Egyptian forces in Gaza, rather than revealing the operation's actual objectives. As the first battle of Operation Horev, Hill 86 established the deceptive framework within which subsequent phases of the operation were intended to unfold.
Tactics
The Israeli assault on Hill 86 was conducted alongside a simultaneous raid on 'Abasan and coordinated aerial and naval shelling of the coastal strip. This multi-axis activity was synchronized to simulate a pattern of operations pointing toward Gaza, creating a false operational picture for Egyptian forces. The concurrent actions rather than any single thrust were the core of the tactical approach, using geographic distribution of attacks to shape Egyptian perception of Israeli intent.
Forces & casualties
Troop strength
- Izrael400medium
Commanders (2)
Egypt
Israel
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6 sibling battles · 1 factions