Battle of Yad Mordechai

Battle of Yad Mordechai
Part of 1948 Arab–Israeli War

Yad Mordechai memorial
DateMay 19–24, 1948
Location
Yad Mordechai, Israel
Result

Egyptian victory

  • Six-month Egyptian control over the desolated commune and its surroundings
  • Successful Israeli delaying action[1][2][3][4][5]
Belligerents
 Israel  Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Ahmad Ali al-Mwawi, Mohamed Kamel Rahmany (subcommander)
Strength
110 Kibbutz residents[6]
20 Palmach (Haganah) fighters		 2 infantry battalions
1 armored battalion
1 artillery battalion or
1 artillery regiment
Casualties and losses
26 killed
49 wounded		 300[7]–400[8] dead and wounded

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.[4]

The kibbutz residents, aided by twenty Haganah fighters, imposed a five-day delay on the Egyptians. This gave Israeli forces time to prepare for the Egyptians' northward advance, and they succeeded in halting the Egyptian advance at Ad Halom less than a week later.[4]

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