Battles of Negba

Battles of Negba
	Part of 1948 Arab–Israeli War
	; Negba, 1948
Date	June 2, 1948 (1st battle); July 12, 1948 (2nd battle)
Location	Negba, Israel31°39′39.24″N 34°40′59.16″E / 31.6609000°N 34.6831000°E
Result	Israeli victory
Belligerents
Israel (IDF)	Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Shimon Avidan (Givati); Yitzhak "Yoav" Dubno (local, KIA)	Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi; Muhammad Naguib (4th Brig.); Sa'ad ad-Din Rahmani (9th Btn.)
Strength
~140	Reinforced battalion
Casualties and losses
8 killed, 11 wounded (1st battle); 5 killed, 16 wounded (2nd battle)	Israeli estimates:; ~100 killed and wounded (1st battle); ~200–300 killed and wounded (2nd battle)

The Battles of Negba were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian army in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Negba, a kibbutz founded in 1939, had a strategic position overlooking the Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road, and was a target of two major assaults by the Egyptians in June and July 1948.

On June 2, the Egyptians attacked the village from the south with a battalion reinforced with armor, artillery, and aircraft, and were beaten back by 140 defenders, who were assisted by motorized Negev Brigade forces. The second attack took place on July 12, when the Egyptians staged diversionary assaults on nearby positions and surrounded Negba from all sides, again with a reinforced battalion. This attack was also dispersed, and Negba remained in Israeli hands, serving as a forward base for attacks against Egyptian forces up to Operation Yoav.