In 1945, its population was 820, with 127 houses. It is located on the main road leading to Safed and is considered a suburb of Safed. It has stone houses and springs of water. In 1944, there were 280 dunams allocated for grains and 477 dunams irrigated or used for orchards.
On January 3, a Zionist group threw several bombs at several houses in the village, killing one of its sons.
As part of the operation "Yiftah, " Palmah forces advanced towards the road to Ain el-Zeitoun from the north on May 4, 1948. Palmah used 12 mortar guns to destroy the village. After clashes with the village residents and the ammunition running out, the village was occupied, and its residents were gathered in a nearby ditch, where 70 of them were killed, mostly women and children, all of them bound. After their killing, the battalion commander ordered their restraints to be removed, fearing the Red Cross finding out. The killings were ordered by the Palmah battalion commander (Moshe Kelman). Jewish woman "Netiva Ben Yehuda" recounts the massacre of Ain el-Zeitoun in her book 'Behind the Defamation, ' stating: 'Around May 3 or 4, 1948, about 70 prisoners (Arabs) were executed. ' Some of the village's residents attempted to return, but the Palmah gang chased them away by firing at them and preventing their return.
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