On October 30, 1948, the massacre of the village of Ailaboun occurred, where 14 martyrs, the best of the village's youth, were executed. The residents were subsequently displaced north to Lebanon but later returned to rebuild their village, recounting the story of their small village that narrates the tale of the suffering of the Nakba and the crimes of the occupation.
The people of Ailaboun decided to stay in their village despite the massacres committed against the Palestinian people and the ethnic cleansing carried out by Zionist gangs. On the morning of October 30, Zionist gangs entered the village, forcing its residents out of churches and firing shots to terrify them into gathering in the village square. Despite the residents' surrender and willingness to surrender in their own town, the soldiers did not listen and, after the people of Ailaboun gathered in the village square, the soldiers selected 18 young men to form a human shield. They forced six of them to lead a military vehicle at the forefront of the army, allowing them to escape and save their lives. The remaining 12 young men who stayed in the village were shot and executed, with three young men martyred in different parts of the village.
The martyrs of Ailaboun were Naeem Ghantous Zareek, Hanna Ibrahim Ashqar, Muhammad Khaled Asaad, Milad Fayyad Suleiman, Fadl Fadlou Ailabouni, Zaki Moussa Skafi, Abdullah Samaan Shoufani, Mikhail Mitri Shami, Raja Mikhail Khalil, Badee' Geries Zareek, Fuad Nofal Zareek, and Geries Shibli Hayek. Those who remained in the square were Badee' Geries Zareek, Fuad Nofal Zareek, and Geries Shibli Hayek; they were shot and killed in the square. The people left burdened with grief and sorrow, heading north to an unknown fate, with gunshots fired behind them. Several were injured, and martyr Simon Geries Shoufani was killed during the shooting, bringing the total number of martyrs to 14.
The remaining residents were forced to leave the village and migrate north. The refugees reached Lebanon and settled in the Mieh Mieh camp, living in tents under harsh conditions with other Palestinian refugees.
When the United Nations learned of what happened, it intervened to allow the people of Ailaboun to return. A representative from the village was sent to Lebanon to find Ailaboun refugees, inform them of the decision to allow their return, and initiate the process of return, which took several months. Many returnees were arrested and deported, and when the families reached their looted and empty village, they buried their martyrs, rebuilt the village, and started anew.
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