Battle of Yad Mordechai

Overview

The Battle of Yad Mordechai was fought between Egypt and Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, at the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai. The Egyptians attacked the settlement several times throughout May 19 and May 20, but failed to capture it. A final attack was launched on May 23, in which the Egyptians succeeded in capturing part of Yad Mordechai, following which the Israeli defenders withdrew. Yad Mordechai finally fell to the Egyptians on May 24 after hours of bombardment of the vacated kibbutz.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Yad Mordechai pitted Egyptian forces under Ahmad Ali al-Mwawi against Israeli defenders at the kibbutz of Yad Mordechai during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Egyptian attacks on May 19 and May 20 failed to capture the settlement, and it was not until a final assault on May 23 that Egyptian forces seized part of the position, prompting the Israeli defenders to withdraw. The kibbutz fell completely on May 24 following prolonged bombardment of the vacated site. The multi-day resistance against repeated Egyptian assaults delayed the Egyptian advance, while the eventual Egyptian capture of Yad Mordechai represented a gain in the southern sector of the 1948 campaign. Israeli casualties in the engagement ranged between 300 and 400.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (1)