Due to Israel's nature as a functional state, colonial powers sought to exploit its existence to eliminate Egyptian opposition to the colonial alliances, including the Baghdad Pact, led by the then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Said. As Egypt's stance became clear, Israel escalated its aggressive position towards Egypt and carried out a massacre in the Gaza Strip (which was under Egyptian administration). Initially, the Zionist administration attempted to issue explicit threats to Egypt, using the policy of force to discipline and deter the Egyptian revolution.
While Salah Salem, a member of the Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council, met with Nuri al-Said, the Prime Minister of Iraq, on August 14, 1954, to persuade him to reconsider Iraq's alignment with colonial alliances and convince him to sign a mutual defense treaty with Egypt, an Israeli army force infiltrated across the armistice line, advancing about three kilometers inside the Gaza Strip, reaching the water station that supplied Gaza residents with water. There, they killed the technician in charge of the station, planted mines in the station building and pumping machines. Despite Egyptian rejection of these threats and their persistence in their chosen direction, Zionist forces executed a real massacre in the sector. On February 28, 1955, at 8:30 PM, several Israeli units crossed the armistice line and advanced more than three kilometers into the Gaza Strip. Each unit carried out its assigned mission. One group raided the water station and destroyed it, another headed to the house of the director of the Gaza railway station, while another attacked Egyptian positions with machine guns, mortars, and hand grenades. A fourth unit laid mines on the road to prevent reinforcements.
The plan largely succeeded; the water station exploded, and Israeli gunfire rained on the Egyptian army camp near the station. The camp commander requested assistance from the nearest military position. Rescue vehicles rushed to meet the call but fell into an ambush set by the Israelis on the road. The total casualties of this massacre were 39 killed and 33 wounded.
Share your opinion