Tira Massacre 1948: Seven Villagers Gunned Down on the Way Home

On 10 February 1948 an armed group from the Zionist gangs stopped a number of people from the village of Tira near Tulkarm as they were returning home, and opened fire on them, killing seven and wounding five. [1] [2] [3]

The victims were neither fighters nor on a battlefield; they were civilians on the road to their homes. It is one of the Zionist massacres against the Palestinian people in the months before the Nakba.

The Tira massacre at a glance

Tira: a village in the Triangle

Tira, or Tira Bani Sa’b, is a Palestinian village near Tulkarm in the southern Triangle, alongside Taybeh, Baqa al-Gharbiyye and others. [3] [4] After the Nakba, the 1949 armistice agreement with Jordan at Rhodes cut off parts of the Tulkarm district and handed them over to the Israeli occupation, the villages of the southern Triangle among them. [4]

The massacre: 10 February 1948

On 10 February 1948 a group of Zionist gunmen intercepted a number of Tira’s people as they returned to the village, stopped them and opened fire. [1] [3] Seven of the village’s sons were killed and five more were wounded. [1] [2] [3]

The available Arab sources do not give the names of the victims or identify the specific Zionist gang responsible, attributing the attack to “Zionist terrorists.” [1] [2]

February 1948: a month of massacres

The Tira massacre came in a month that saw a series of massacres across Palestine, including: [2]

Just four days after the Tira massacre, the Haganah committed a massacre in the village of Sa’sa’ in the Safad district, killing 60 Palestinians. [2] the Sa’sa’ massacre

Conclusion

Seven people from Tira left their homes and never returned, because a group of Zionist gunmen decided that the road back to the village would be a road of death. The massacre was one of dozens of crimes the Zionist gangs committed in the months before declaring their state, to terrorise Palestinians and drive them from their land.

Frequently asked questions about the Tira massacre

When did the Tira massacre take place?

It took place on 10 February 1948.

Where is Tira?

Near Tulkarm in the southern Triangle; it is also known as Tira Bani Sa’b.

How many people were killed in the Tira massacre?

7 killed and 5 wounded.

Who carried out the Tira massacre?

An armed group from the Zionist gangs; the available sources do not name the gang.

Is it the same as the Tirat Haifa massacre?

No. Tirat Haifa is a different village near Haifa, and what happened there was in July 1948.

Sources and references

Arabic-language sources are listed with translated titles.

1. “Israeli Massacres,” Palestinian National Information Centre (WAFA).
2. “Israeli Massacres Against the Palestinian People,” Al Jazeera Net, 3 October 2004.
3. “Lest We Forget: Crimes Time Will Never Erase,” Baheth Center for Studies.
4. Awad al-Rujoub, “The Triangle Region Between Settlement and Exchange,” Al Jazeera Net, 31 May 2011.