Zionist Massacres - Qalqilya Massacre


Qalqilya Massacre | Our Palestine

On October 10, 1953, the residents of Qalqilya were determined to gather funds, purchase weapons, and resist the Zionist enemy. The ongoing clashes between them and their enemies continued. The Israelis, frustrated by their failure to break the resilience of the village's inhabitants, expressed their anger. Moshe Dayan stated in a meeting on the border (following a clash in June 1953): "I will plow Qalqilya. "


At nine o'clock in the evening on October 10, 1953, an Israeli force infiltrated Qalqilya, consisting of infantry and armored units supported by field artillery and about ten fighter planes. They cut telephone wires and mined some roads while a large force gathered in nearby settlements. At ten o'clock on the same day, they attacked Qalqilya from three directions, with the main effort of the armored battalion focusing on the police center. However, the National Guard, in cooperation with the village residents, resisted this attack vigorously, leading to its failure, and the armored vehicles retreated. An hour later, the attackers renewed the assault with the infantry battalion under the protection of armored vehicles, preceded by field artillery fire. This attack also failed, and the enemy retreated after suffering some losses. Feeling that the target of the attacks was the police center, the villagers strengthened their defenses there, but incurred significant losses when the artillery bombarded the village and the police center with bombs. At the same time, the Israeli enemy launched a third attack with force, successfully occupying the police center, then advancing through the streets, firing upon homes and anyone they encountered.


Approximately seventy residents, along with people from nearby villages who rushed to help, were martyred in this massacre, in addition to significant material losses. A unit of the Jordanian army stationed in a nearby area moved to assist in repelling the aggression but encountered landmines planted by the Zionists, suffering some losses. The Jordanian artillery then shelled the enemy, inflicting some losses before the Israelis withdrew after causing corruption and destruction in the village.