On the 16 of January 1948, the convoy of 35 was sent by the Jewish Haganah underground army to resupply the four blockaded kibbutzim of Gush Etzion (the Etzion bloc), south of Jerusalem, following the Arab attack of January 14. Uzi Narkiss, who cammanded the defense of Gush Etzion for the Haganah, demanded resupply. 38 Haganah personnel set out on foot from Hartuv at 11 PM on January 15, commanded by Danny Mas. Three were sent back because one man sprained an ankle, and the other two accompanied him. The 35 never reached their destination. The Haganah (Hebrew: Defense, ×”×’× ×”) was a Jewish paramilitary organization in Palestine during the British mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948. ... Gush Etzion is a group of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. ... Jerusalem (31°46′ N 35°14′ E; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ... Gush Etzion is a group of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. ...

The fate of the 35 was reconstructed from British and Arab reports. The six hours of night that remained did not suffice for the trip. About an hour before the convoy reached their destination, it became light. They were detected by an Arab shepherd or ARab women not far from the village of Surif, near Gush Etzion. They did not harm the Arab civilian, who hurried to sound the alarm. A large number of armed Arabs from Surif and other villages gathered to block their way. The battle lasted the entire day. The last defender was apparently killed at about 4:30 PM. The British in the nearby police station did not interfere until the battle was over. According to British soldiers who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, as well as Arab witnesses, the Arab attackers mutilated the bodies of the defenders in obscene ways. Gush Etzion is a group of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. ...

Rightly or wrongly, many of the Jews of Palestine and especially Haganah soldiers, believed that the Arabs had set the rules of the game for this war. Dani Mas, the commander, became a hero of the War of Independence. The story that the 35 had been betrayed by an Arab shepherd whom they met on the way and had spared, reinforced the impressions that no rules of war would be followed, that there were in reality no civilian non-combatants, and that no enemy person could be spared for any reason.

See also

Gush Etzion Kfar Etzion Massacre Gush Etzion Convoy Gush Etzion is a group of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. ... The convoy of ten, or Gush Etzion Convoy, was one of many convoys sent by the Hagannah to the four blockaded kibbutzim of Gush Etzion (The Etzion Bloc), south of [[Jerusalem[[ in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. ...

External References

• Gush Etzion Remembered: A history of Gush Etzion and the Kfar Etzion Massacre