The Ink Flag ( he, דֶּגֶל הַדְּיוֹ, ''Degel HaDyo'') was a handmade
Israeli flag
The flag of Israel ( he, דגל ישראל '; ar, علم إسرائيل ') was adopted on 28 October 1948, five months after the establishment of the State of Israel. It depicts a blue hexagram on a white background, between two horizontal b ...
raised in March 1949 during the
1948 Arab–Israeli War to mark the capture of
Umm Rashrash.
History
On 5 March 1949, Israel launched
Operation Uvda
Operation Uvda ( he, מבצע עובדה, ''Mivtza Uvda'') was an operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, from March 5 to March 10, 1949. It was the last campaign undertaken by the IDF during the war an ...
, the last military maneuver of the
1948 Arab–Israeli War. On 10 March, the
Israeli Defense Forces
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli (b ...
reached the shores of the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
at Umm Rashrash, west of
Aqaba
Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...
in the area of biblical Elath, and captured it without a battle. The
Negev Brigade
The 12th Negev Brigade ( he, חטיבת הנגב, ''Hativat HaNegev'') is an Israeli reserve infantry brigade under the Sinai Division, that originally served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
History
Founding and organization
The brigade was f ...
and
Golani Brigade took part in the operation. A makeshift flag created from a white sheet inscribed with ink was raised by Captain
Avraham Adan, company commander of the 8th Battalion of the Negev Brigade.
The improvised flag was made on the order of Negev Brigade commander Nahum Sarig, when it was discovered that the brigade did not have an
Israeli flag
The flag of Israel ( he, דגל ישראל '; ar, علم إسرائيل ') was adopted on 28 October 1948, five months after the establishment of the State of Israel. It depicts a blue hexagram on a white background, between two horizontal b ...
on hand. The soldiers found a sheet, drew two ink stripes, and sewed on a
Star of David torn off a first-aid kit.
In Eilat, a bronze sculpture by Israeli sculptor
Bernard Reder commemorates the event.
[Bernard Reder sculpture](_blank)
The photo of the raising of the Ink Flag, taken by the soldier Micha Perry, bears resemblance to the 1945 American photo ''
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima''.
Former IDF general, Israeli icon Avraham Adan, dies at 86
Haaretz
Gallery
File:Degel HaDyo - sculpture.jpg, Commemorative sculpture by Bernard Reder
File:רשרש4.jpg, Close-up of the man on the pole
References
External links
{{Commonscat, Ink Flag
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Speech on Eilat Day - 56 Years Since the Raising of the Ink Flag, March 20th, 2005
1948 Arab–Israeli War
1949 in Israel
History of Eilat
Historical flags
Black-and-white photographs
Special events flags
War photographs
Flags in art
1949 in art
1949 photographs
Flags of Israel
Flags introduced in 1949
Inks