Despite Egyptian strength in the Strip — 10,000 troops comprising the Palestinian 8th Division under Major-General Youssef el Agroudi — it was not expected that the Gaza Strip would pose a severe military problem following the fall of Rafah. The defence of the Strip was allotted to the Palestinian 86th Brigade, based on Khan Yunis in the southern portion of the Strip, and the Egyptian 26th National Guard Brigade (with eight 120mm heavy mortars and two motorized border platoons) based on the city of Gaza in the north: these maintained fourteen fortified locations along the borders of the Strip and three battalion defence locations around Khan Yunis.
The Israeli 11th Infantry Brigade commanded by Colonel Aharon Doron — (later to be the Adjutant-General of the armed forces and subsequently Vice-President of Tel Aviv University) was given the task of taking the Gaza Strip. It disposed of two infantry battalions and an armoured combat team from the 37th Armoured Brigade, a company of Sherman medium tanks and a company of infantry on half-tracks. Previous to this, the Brigade had been occupied fighting and foiling
Ibid.
Fedayeen raids, which, surprisingly, were being carried out in even greater numbers than before. •
The order to launch the attack came at 06.00 hours on 2 November — at the same time as the 27th Armoured Brigade entered El-Arish. The assault began from the south, with the 120mm mortar and tank barrage on the fortified ridges overlooking the city of Gaza. (The main Ali Montar ridge had gained renown in the First World War when Allenby’s British forces had lost some 10,000 men in three ill-fated attacks on the Turkish positions there.) Although the Egyptian forces on the ridges replied with heavy fire, an Israeli tank squadron, together with half-tracks, broke through the outer defences, crossed the south-western corner of the Ali Montar ridge and moved rapidly towards the northern border of the Gaza Strip at Beit Hanun. At the same time, an infantry battalion entered the city to mop-up pockets of resistance, followed by tanks which soon occupied the centre of the city. By noon, through the mediation of a member of the United Nations Mixed Armistice Commission, the Egyptian Governor of the city of Gaza surrendered and proceeded to persuade the remainder of the Egyptian garrison in the city to lay down its arms. He thereby avoided unnecessary fighting within the city, which, in addition to its residents, housed some 200,000 refugees in primitive camps that the Egyptians had maintained in the environs of the city. Soon, the Egyptian Governor of the Gaza Strip, General Fuad A1 Dijani, handed in his surrender and, by late afternoon, an Israeli Military Government had been established.
By early evening, the Brigade was moving towards Khan Yunis. Here the Palestinian 86th Brigade found itself surrounded by Israeli forces in Rafah to the south and in Gaza to the north. Despite their plight, the defenders chose to fight from their emplacements on the outer ridges of the locality. Consequently, the armoured combat team of the Israeli 11th Brigade found itself under a heavy barrage that lasted until the dawn of 3 November. The team despatched a combat group along the eastern flank of the locality, while an infantry battalion entered a neighbouring refugee camp and thereby penetrated the locality. By 13.30 hours, the mopping-up was complete, and the advance guard of the Brigade reached the outer perimeter of the ‘Golani’ Brigade defences north of Rafah.
World History
