Operation GYS
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Operation GYS, or Operation Gayis ( he, מִבְצָע גַּיִ"ס), short for Golani,
Yiftach Yiftah ( he, יִפְתָּח, lit. ''He will open'') is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located near the Lebanese border and Kiryat Shmona, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. In it had a population of . History ...
, Sergei (Negev)—the three participating brigades—was an Israeli military and logistical operation conducted during the second truce of the
1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
. Its objective was to create a corridor to the Israeli enclave in the northern
Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
desert, surrounded by the Egyptian army. When the military operation (later called GYS 1) commenced and failed on July 27, 1948, a more modest operation (GYS 2) was attempted on July 31, aimed just to transport goods to the enclave. In GYS 1, the Israelis hoped to capture
Fallujah Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
and
Iraq al-Manshiyya Iraq al-Manshiyya ( ar, عراق المنشية) was a Palestinian Arab village located 32 km northeast of Gaza City. The village contained two mosques and a shrine for Shaykh Ahmad al-Arayni. It was depopulated after the 1948 Arab-Israeli Wa ...
, thus cutting a wedge through the Egyptian forces and having free passage to the Negev. However, the attack on Iraq al-Manshiyya failed and the forces in Fallujah retreated due to communication problems. In GYS 2, the forces took a safer road to the east of Iraq al-Manshiyya and successfully escorted a convoy of 20 trucks. A third attempt on August 18–19, called Operation Way to the Negev, failed. As a result, most supplies had to be transported by air for almost two months, in an operation known as
Operation Avak Operation Avak ( he, מִבְצָע אָבָק, "Operation Dust") was a logistical and military operation conducted during the second truce of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and later by the Israeli Air Force (IAF). Its objective was to send supplies ...
.


Background

As a response to the
Morrison–Grady Plan The Morrison–Grady Plan, also known as the Morrison Plan or the Provincial Autonomy Plan was a joint Anglo-American plan announced on 31 July 1946 for the creation of a unitary federal trusteeship in Mandatory Palestine. Following the issuance ...
of 1946, the Jewish
Yishuv Yishuv ( he, ישוב, literally "settlement"), Ha-Yishuv ( he, הישוב, ''the Yishuv''), or Ha-Yishuv Ha-Ivri ( he, הישוב העברי, ''the Hebrew Yishuv''), is the body of Jewish residents in the Land of Israel (corresponding to the s ...
decided to erect 11 new villages in the northern
Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
desert in order to insure that the territory would become part of a Jewish state in any future political decision. On May 15, 1948, following
Israel's declaration of independence The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel ( he, הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 ( 5 Iyar 5708) by David Ben-Gurion, the Executive ...
, the armies of several Arab states invaded the new state. The Egyptian army advanced along the coastal road, stopping at the Sukreir Bridge and remaining there following
Operation Pleshet Operation Pleshet ( he, מִבְצָע פְּלֶשֶׁת, ''Mivtza Pleshet'', lit. "Operation Philistia"), named after the Pleshet, geographical region where it took place, was an Israeli military operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It ...
, an Israeli offensive on the column near the bridge. The Egyptians then set up positions in the Majdal
Bayt Jibrin Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin ( ar, بيت جبرين; he, בית גוברין, translit=Beit Gubrin) was a Palestinians, Palestinian village located northwest of the city of Hebron. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or , ...
road in order to strengthen their hold on the area and disconnect the Negev villages from the rest of Israel. The Israelis made two major attempts to break through the blockade—
Operation An-Far Operation An-Far (short for Anti-Farouk) was a military operation launched by Israel's Givati Brigade on the night of July 8–9 during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its objectives were to gain control of approaches in southern Judea and block the a ...
and
Operation Death to the Invader Operation Death to the Invader ( he, מִבְצָע מָוֶת לַפּוֹלֵשׁ), also Death to the Invaders, was an Israeli military operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was carried out on July 16–18, 1948 in the northwestern Neg ...
—but failed to create its own wedge between the Egyptian forces. On July 18, 1948, the second truce to the war came into effect, ending the hostilities with the Negev still separate. The villages of Hatta and
Karatiyya Karatiyya ( ar, كرتيا) was a Palestinian Arab village of 1,370, located northeast of Gaza, situated in a flat area with an elevation of along the coastal plain of Palestine and crossed by Wadi al-Mufrid. History Byzantine ceramics have b ...
had been captured however, forcing the Egyptians to bypass them with a makeshift road to the south. Before the Egyptians created the bypass, United Nations observers visited the area and determined that the Israelis controlled a passageway to the Negev at the beginning of the truce. Israel believed that this gave them the right to attack Egyptian forces blocking the way, despite the ceasefire. Still, the IDF's plan was to withhold an attack until the Egyptians opened fire on the convoy. Elements of the
Yiftach Brigade The Yiftach Brigade (also known as the Yiftah Brigade, the 11th Brigade in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War) was an Israeli infantry brigade. It included two Palmach battalions (the 1st and 7th), and later also the 2nd, which was transferred from the ...
which had participated in
Operation Danny Operation Danny ( he, מבצע דני, ''Mivtza Dani'') was an Israeli military offensive launched at the end of the first truce of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The objectives were to capture territory east of Tel Aviv and then to push inland and ...
in July were moved south for the operation.


GYS 1

Operation GYS was a plan to create a corridor between the Negev and the rest of Israel from Gat and Karatiyya in the north to Bir Abu-Jabir in the south. The
Givati Brigade The 84th "Givati" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גִּבְעָתִי, , "Hill Brigade" or "Highland Brigade") is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Until 2005, the Brigade used to be stationed within the Gaza Strip and primarily perf ...
's forces would deploy from Jaladiyya, the Yiftach Brigade's—from Gat, and 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 fou ...
's—from
Bror Hayil Bror Hayil ( he, בְּרוֹר חַיִל) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Sderot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In it had a population of . Etymology The name Bror Hayil means "selection of ...
. Givati's 53rd Battalion would capture
Iraq al-Manshiyya Iraq al-Manshiyya ( ar, عراق المنشية) was a Palestinian Arab village located 32 km northeast of Gaza City. The village contained two mosques and a shrine for Shaykh Ahmad al-Arayni. It was depopulated after the 1948 Arab-Israeli Wa ...
, and Yiftach's forces, under the umbrella command of its 1st Battalion, would take
Fallujah Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
. They would meet to the south of the villages with Negev's 7th Battalion. The time frame for the operation was set for only one day. The command was given to
Shimon Avidan Shimon Avidan ( he, שמעון אבידן; February 7, 1911 – September 11, 1994), born Siegbert Koch ( he, זיגברט קוך), was an Israeli soldier and officer, the commander of the Givati Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Born in ...
, CO of the Givati Brigade. The attack started on July 27, when Givati sent a force to attack
Bayt 'Affa Bayt 'Affa was a Palestinian village in the Gaza Subdistrict. It was depopulated and destroyed during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine. It was located northeast of Gaza and Wadi al-Rana ran east of the village. History The villa ...
(between
Negba Negba ( he, נֶגְבָּה) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert near the cities of Kiryat Malakhi and Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Yoav Regional Council. In it had a population of . The name of ...
and Karatiyya) as a diversion. Other Givati forces then left Gat and assaulted Iraq al-Manshiyya but met with heavy resistance. Meanwhile, an Yiftach company surrounded Fallujah in another company attacked; a third was in reserve. The first thrust was repelled, and on the second, the company reached the village's inner perimeter. However, the commander of Yiftach's forces was unable to communicate with the attacking company and a retreat order was given. The two companies around the village complied immediately, but the situation was more difficult for the spearhead force, which stayed until dawn and suffered four dead and 26 wounded. After the operation failed, Negev forces, which took up positions at Bir Abu-Jabir, also went back to their bases.


GYS 2

Between GYS 1 and GYS 2, the Israeli forces that participated in GYS 1 harassed Egyptian transportation along the Majdal – Bayt Jibrin road. The second attempt to break through to the Negev was made on July 30 – August 2. In the evening of the 30th, Givati commandos left Zeita for a reconnaissance patrol. They returned after reaching Khirbet Qarqara, satisfied that there were no Egyptian forces there. On July 31, the
military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
escorted the supply convoy to the south of the country. They met with the
Samson's Foxes Samson's Foxes ( he, שועלי שמשון, ''Shu'alei Shimshon'') was an Israeli commando unit of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was part of the 54th Battalion (commanded by Zvi Zur) of the Givati Brigade. The unit participated in various batt ...
unit of Givati at 23:50 on July 31. Meanwhile, the Yiftach brigade took up positions along the planned route of the convoy and staged a diversionary attack in the area of
Julis Julis ( ar, جولس ''Jūlis'', he, ג'וּלִס ''G'ulis'') is a Druze village and local council in the Northern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology According to local legend, the name is derived from "Julius," the na ...
. The convoy met with difficulties when it approached Wadi Qubeiba. Two trucks got stuck and one ran into a land mine, killing one soldier. After reaching Khirbet Qarqara, local Bedouins opened fire upon the convoy and retreated after exchanging shots with Givati. At the tomb of Sheikh Abu Ghazala, south of Fallujah, the convoy met with the Negev's 9th Battalion and the escorting forces returned to their bases. The convoy then safely reached Bror Hayil and
Ruhama Ruhama ( he, רֻחָמָה) is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The original settlement, established in 1911, is considered the first modern Jewish settlement in the Negev. Located around ten kilometres east of Sderot and surro ...
. Yiftach's forces were then removed from the southern front for the time.


Aftermath

A third attempt, named Operation Way to the Negev, was made on August 18–19, but the convoy was directly attacked by Egyptian forces and only one truck made it through to the Negev. On the same day, the IDF
General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
decided that the ground forces were unable to safely pass supplies to the Negev, and that the air force would henceforth be used. This was one of the reasons for launching
Operation Avak Operation Avak ( he, מִבְצָע אָבָק, "Operation Dust") was a logistical and military operation conducted during the second truce of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and later by the Israeli Air Force (IAF). Its objective was to send supplies ...
, a continuous aerial supply that took place between August 23 and October 21, 1948, until a permanent ground corridor was opened in
Operation Yoav Operation Yoav (also called ''Operation Ten Plagues'' or ''Operation Yo'av'') was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between th ...
.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{coord, 31, 35, 29.05, N, 34, 45, 29.4, E, display=title Battles and operations of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War July 1948 events in Asia August 1948 events in Asia