On December 31, 1947, a bomb exploded outside the building of the Haifa Oil Refinery company, killing and injuring several Arab workers who were present at the refinery. In response, Arab workers within the company revolted and attacked the Zionist workers at the refinery using hammers, axes, and iron bars, killing and injuring around sixty Zionists. A significant number of Arab workers in this refinery lived in the villages of Al-Sheikh and Hawassa, located southeast of Haifa. Therefore, the Zionists planned to retaliate by attacking these two villages.
On the night of New Year's Eve 1948, the Zionists began their attack shortly after midnight, with an estimated 150 to 200 Zionists focusing their assault on the outskirts of the two villages. The Arabs lacked sufficient weapons, and there were only local guards in the streets. The Zionists attacked remote houses on the outskirts of these villages, throwing hand grenades and entering the homes of sleeping residents, firing their machine guns. The attack lasted for about an hour, and the Zionists withdrew around 2 a. m. after assaulting around ten houses. The attack resulted in the martyrdom and injury of approximately 30 individuals, mostly women and children, leaving behind evidence of blood and weapons indicative of the resistance they encountered.
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