| Ein Ofarim killings | |
| Partof: | Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency |
| Native Name: | הפיגוע בעין עופרים |
| Location: | Ein Ofarim facility near Hatzeva, Southern Israel |
| Native Name Lang: | heb |
| Type: | Stabbing attack |
| Weapons: | Knives |
| Fatalities: | 3 Israelis |
| Perps: | Palestinian Fedayeen squad |
The Ein Ofarim killings was an attack by Palestinian Fedayeen, which occurred on Wednesday night, 12 September 1956.[1] [2] [3]
On Wednesday night, 12 September 1956, a Palestinian Fedayeen squad infiltrated into Israel from Jordan. The militants attacked the Ein Ofarim oil-drilling camp near the village Hatzeva, while other personnel were out of the camp for grocery shopping. They killed 3 Druze watchmen,[4] [5] [6] one in his room. The bodies of the guards were stabbed and their guns were stolen by the attackers.[2]
The three victims, Nawaf Abu-Ghazi (25 years), Suleiman Hatoum (25 years) and Rafik Abdullah (23 years), were buried in their hometown of Sumei. They were commemorated on Mount Herzl.[7]
With consulting his Cabinet, the Israeli Prime Minister decided on a reprisal raid.[4] Since the nearest Jordanian police fort was 'topologically difficult', the police fort 80 kilometers away at Gharandal was chosen.[4] During the operation, either 9 or 13 Jordanian police and members of a desert camel patrol unit were killed, along with two civilians.[4] IDF casualties in the operation included one dead soldier and 12 wounded soldiers. The police station and nearby structures were destroyed.[4] [8]