Battle of Nirim

Battle of Nirim
Part of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Sign erected in the Nirim dining hall in 1948 for the May Day celebrations, on one of the few surviving walls in the village. The sentence reads "Not the tank shall prevail, but the man", and became an icon of Nirim's successful stand
Date May 15, 1948 Location Nirim, Israel 31°14′20.25″N 34°20′17.36″E / 31.2389583°N 34.3381556°E / 31.2389583; 34.3381556 Result Israeli victory
Belligerents
Israel (Haganah)	Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Haim Bar Lev (8th Btn.)
Strength
39–45	500–800
Casualties and losses
7 killed	30–35 killed

The Battle of Nirim was a military engagement between the Egyptian army and the Jewish Haganah militia on May 15, 1948, the first day of the Egyptian invasion of Israel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was fought in kibbutz Nirim, founded just two years earlier as part of the strategic settlement push known as the "11 points in the Negev". The Egyptian 6th Battalion attacked about 40 Israeli defenders at dawn on May 15, backed by armored vehicles, mortars, cannons and aircraft. They failed to take the village and retreated about 7 hours later, leaving behind about 30–35 dead.