This is a list of killings and massacres committed in Mandatory Palestine. It is restricted to incidents in which at least three people were deliberately killed. This list does not include unlawful deaths due to criminal activity. It includes all casualties that resulted from the initial attack on civilians or non-combat military personnel.
Individual massacres during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine are listed below. In total, during the course of these events, between September 27, 1937 – 1939, 5,000 Arabs, 415 Jews and several hundred Britons were killed.
| Name | data-sort-type="date" | Date | Fatalities | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Tel Hai | March 1, 1920 | 13 | 8 Jews,[1] 5 Arabs killed Armed Arabs were looking for French soldiers, and Jews mounted armed resistance. | |
| Nebi Musa riots | April 4–7, 1920 | 9 | 5 Jews, 4 Arabs killed; 216 Jews, 18 Arabs, 7 Britons wounded Started by inflammatory language at an Arab rally. Origin of violence uncertain, but a witness reported stone throwing by Arabs. | |
| Jaffa riots | May 1–7, 1921 | 95 | 48 Arabs, 47 Jews killed; 140 Jews, 73 Arabs wounded. Began as a fight between two Jewish groups. Arabs joined in because they thought they were being attacked. | |
| Palestine riots of 1929 | August 23–29, 1929 | 249 | 133 Jews, 116 Arabs killed; 339 Jews, 232 Arabs wounded;[2] [3] includes the Hebron massacre (67 Jews killed; 58 Jews wounded and a massacre in Safed (18–20 Jews killed; 80 Jews wounded) Mostly violence by Arabs against Jews; most Arabs killed by Mandate police. Thought triggered by a recent Jewish demonstration. | |
| Black Hand killings at Kibbutz Yagur[4] | April 11, 1931 | 3 | 3 jews at Kibbutz Yagur | |
| 1931-1932 attacks of the Black Hand | 1931-1932 | 6 | 6 Jews | |
| 1933 Palestine riots in Jaffa [5] | October 27, 1933 | 16 | 1 Arab policeman, 15 Arab demonstrators shot by British forces, 1 Arab child hit by a stray bullet. | |
| 1933 Palestine riots in Haifa | October 27–28, 1933 | 4 | 4 Palestinian rioters killed, 1 policeman stabbed, 3 Palestinian rioters wounded, 5 Jewish civilians injured by rioters, 4 of them seriously. | |
| Jaffa riots (April 1936) | April 19–20, 1936 | 21 | 9 Jews killed, 40 Jews wounded (11 critically) in Arab attack in Jaffa. Police killed two attackers. Further 7 Jews and 3 Arabs killed the next day[6] [7] [8] | |
| Arab General Strike | April 20 – October 12, 1936 | 314 | 197 Arabs killed and 823 wounded, 80 Jews killed and 300 wounded, 37 military and police killed and 95 wounded.[9] | |
| NA | August 13, 1937 | 4 | 4 members of a Jewish family, 3 children, shot dead by Arabs who broke into their home in Safed[10] | |
| NA | November 9, 1937 | 5 | 5 Jewish Keren Kayemet workers killed near Har Haruach by an Arab ambush. Ma'ale HaHamisha was named in their honor.[11] | |
| N/A | March 28, 1938 | 6 | 6 Jewish passengers killed by Arabs while traveling from Haifa to Safed. | |
| N/A | August 16, 1938 | 3 | A Jewish family was kidnapped by Arabs in Atlit. 3 killed.[12] [13] | |
| 1938 Tiberias pogrom | October 2, 1938 | 19 | 19 Jews were killed.[14] | |
| N/A | February 27, 1939 | 33 | 33 Arabs were killed in multiple attacks, incl. 24 by bomb in Arab market in Suk Quarter of Haifa and 4 by bomb in Arab vegetable market in Jerusalem.[15] | |
| N/A | June 2, 1939 | 5 | 5 Arabs were killed by a bomb at the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem.[16] [17] | |
| N/A | June 19, 1939 | 20 | 20 Arabs were killed by explosives mounted on a donkey at a marketplace in Haifa.[18] | |
| Italian Bombing of Tel Aviv | September 9, 1940 | 137 | 130 Jews and 7 Arabs killed in a bombing run.[19] | |
| N/A | November 1, 1945 | 4 | 5 locomotives destroyed in Lydda station. Two staff, one soldier and one policeman killed. One of the bombers, Yehiel Dresner, was later executed for other crimes.[20] | |
| King David Hotel bombing | July 22, 1946 | 91 | 91 killed, including 41 Arabs, 28 Britons, and 17 Jews; 40-45 wounded[21] [22] | |
| Fajja bus attacks | November 30, 1947 | 7 | 7 Jews killed in two incidents by gunfire[23] | |
| 1947 Jerusalem riots | December 2, 1947 | 14 | 8 Jews Reported Killed[24] [25] | |
| al-Tira | December 12, 1947 | 13 | 13 Arabs killed, 10 wounded[26] [27] | |
| N/A | December 12, 1947 | 20 | 20 killed, 5 wounded by barrel bomb at Damascus Gate.[28] | |
| N/A | December 13, 1947 | 16 | 16 Arabs killed; 67 Arabs wounded from bombings in Jerusalem and Jaffa; Irgun also burns down 100 Arab homes in Jaffa | |
| N/A | December 16, 1947 | 10 | 10 killed by bomb at Noga Cinema in Jaffa.[29] | |
| al-Khisas massacre | December 18, 1947 | 10 | 10 Arabs killed | |
| N/A | December 24, 1947 | 8 | 4 Jews killed in Haifa by snipers, 4 Arabs killed in reprisals | |
| N/A | December 26, 1947 | 7 | 7 Jews killed while driving in convoy to Jerusalem | |
| N/A | December 28, 1947 | 10 | 5 Jews killed in Bab el Wad by snipers, 5 Arabs killed in reprisals | |
| N/A | December 29, 1947 | 17 | 4 Jews killed in Tel Aviv from mortar and sniper fire, 13 Arabs killed in Jerusalem in Irgun bombing[30] | |
| Bomb thrown on Damascus Gate Café in Jerusalem | December 29, 1947 | 13 | 11 Arabs, 2 Britons killed[31] Uri Milstein reported 15 casualties from the bombing in the Palestine Post.[32] | |
| Haifa Oil Refinery massacre | December 30, 1947 | 39 | Arabs beat 39 Jews to death and injured 49 after an Irgun bombing which killed 6 | |
| Balad al-Shaykh massacre | January 1, 1948 | 50 | 17–70 Arabs killed in Haifa | |
| N/A | January 3, 1948 | 4 | 3 Jews, 1 Briton killed in Jerusalem | |
| Bombing of Arab National Committee HQ | January 4, 1948 | 14 | 14 Arabs killed; 100 Arabs wounded | |
| Semiramis Hotel bombing | January 5, 1948 | 20 | 20 Arabs killed in Jerusalem[33] | |
| N/A | January 5, 1948 | 14 | 14 Arabs killed and 19 injured by truck bomb outside the 3-storey 'Serrani', Jaffa's built Ottoman Town Hall[34] | |
| N/A | January 5, 1948 | 4 | 4 Arabs killed after attacking Jewish quarter in Safed | |
| Jaffa Gate bombing in Jerusalem | January 7, 1948 | 18 | 15–20 Arabs killed[35] | |
| N/A | January 10, 1948 | 11 | 11 Jews killed, 1 decapitated near Yavne | |
| N/A | January 14, 1948 | 7 | 7 Jews, 2 Britons killed in Haifa | |
| Convoy of 35 | January 15, 1948 | 35 | 35 Jewish militants going to resupply blockaded kibbutzim at Gush Etzion attacked near Hebron by Arab militants.[36] It is known that the Jewish militants fought back, but there is little of Arab casualties. | |
| N/A | January 20, 1948 | 8 | 8 Jews killed in Yehiam | |
| N/A | January 22, 1948 | 7 | 7 Jews killed near Yazur | |
| N/A | January 25, 1948 | 10 | 10 Jews killed | |
| N/A | January 27, 1948 | 4 | 4 Arabs killed in Gaza | |
| N/A | February 3, 1948 | 6 | 6 Jews killed while riding buses in Haifa | |
| N/A | February 7, 1948 | 6 | 3 Arabs, 3 Jews killed in Haifa | |
| N/A | February 8, 1948 | 6 | 6 Jews killed in Jerusalem | |
| N/A | February 8, 1948 | 3 | 3 Jews killed in Tel Aviv | |
| N/A | February 10, 1948 | 7 | 7 Arabs killed near Ras el Ain after selling cows in Tel Aviv[37] | |
| N/A | February 12, 1948 | 4 | 4 Jews killed in Jerusalem | |
| N/A | February 15, 1948 | 8 | 5 Arabs, 3 Jews killed | |
| Sa'sa' village ambush in the Safad district | February 14, 1948 | 11-60 | Reports vary from 11 Arabs killed,[38] to 60 Arabs killed.[39] Reported to be revenge for Convoy of 35. | |
| N/A | February 17, 1948 | 8 | 5 Arabs, 3 Jews killed | |
| N/A | February 17, 1948 | 57 | 57 Arabs killed while taking part in attack on Jewish settlements Tirat Tzvi, Sde Eliahu, Ein HaNatziv | |
| Ramla vegetable market bombing | February 18, 1948 | 12 | 12 killed, 43 wounded[40] | |
| N/A | February 19, 1948 | 4 | 4 Jews killed while riding buses in Haifa | |
| N/A | February 21, 1948 | 4 | 4 Arabs killed in Haifa | |
| Ben Yehuda Street bombing | February 22, 1948 | 55 | 55 Jews killed | |
| N/A | February 25, 1948 | 3 | 3 Jews killed on road between Ramle and Tel Aviv | |
| N/A | February 28, 1948 | 7 | 6 Arabs, 1 Jew killed during attack on Jewish village Kfar Sava | |
| N/A | February 18, 1948 | 4 | 4 Arabs killed while participating in attack on Jewish settlement Mitzpe | |
| Rehovot Train bombing | March 1, 1948 | 28 | 28 Britons killed | |
| Bevingrad Officers Club bombing | March 1, 1948 | 20 | 20 Britons killed; 30 Britons wounded[41] | |
| N/A | March 1, 1948 | 4 | 4 Jews killed on Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road | |
| N/A | March 2, 1948 | 13 | 10 Arabs, 3 Jews killed during Arab attack on Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road | |
| N/A | March 3, 1948 | 11 | Car bombing in Haifa killed 11 Arabs[42] | |
| N/A | March 4, 1948 | 16 | 16 Jews killed on Jerusalem-Atarot road | |
| N/A | March 9, 1948 | 3 | 3 Arabs killed while attacking a Jewish settlement Yehiam | |
| N/A | March 11, 1948 | 5 | 4 Arabs, 1 Jew killed in Tiberias | |
| Jewish Agency bombing | March 11, 1948 | 13 | 13 Jews killed | |
| N/A | March 14, 1948 | 7 | 7 Jews killed near Faluja | |
| N/A | March 14, 1948 | 5 | 4 Arabs, 1 Jew killed in Tiberias | |
| N/A | March 18, 1948 | 9 | 5 Britons, 4 Jews killed in convoy near Acre | |
| N/A | March 20, 1948 | 7 | 7 Jews killed at Ein Harod | |
| N/A | March 21, 1948 | 6 | 6 Jews killed on Rosh Pinna-Safed road | |
| N/A | March 22, 1948 | 24 | 4 Jews, 20 Arabs during attack on Jewish settlement Nitzanim | |
| N/A | March 24, 1948 | 36 | 36 Arabs killed near Tulkarem | |
| N/A | March 26, 1948 | 8 | 6 Arabs, 2 Jews killed in attack on Jewish convoy near Gaza | |
| N/A | March 28, 1948 | 6 | 6 Arabs killed while participating in attack on Jewish convoy near Rehovot | |
| N/A | March 30, 1948 | 10 | 8 Jews and 2 British killed while fleeing from Jaffa | |
| Cairo-Haifa train bombing | March 31, 1948 | 40 | 40 Arabs killed; 60 Arabs wounded | |
| Massacre in an orange grove in Lydda | April 1, 1948 | 11 | 11 Arab laborers killed[43] | |
| NA | April 5, 1948 | 10 | 10 Iraqis killed by Jewish militants in Lydda. | |
| Deir Yassin massacre | April 9, 1948 | 107 | 100-254 Arabs killed[44] [45] [46] | |
| Hadassah medical convoy massacre | April 13, 1948 | 79 | 78 Jews (nurses, doctors, and patients) and one British soldier killed[47] [48] | |
| Ein al Zeitun massacre | May 3, 1948 | 55 | 37–70 Arab prisoners | |
| Kfar Etzion massacre | May 13, 1948 | 129 | 127–157 Jews killed | |
| Abu Shusha massacre | May 13–14, 1948 | 60–70+ | 60–70 Arabs killed | |
