Kfar Etzion was the largest of four Jewish colonies situated midway between Jerusalem and Hebron, heavily fortified. On May 6, 1948, a unit of the Arab army was en route to Hebron, accompanied by a number of cars, when mortar shells from Deir al-Sharaf, a nearby village occupied by Jews, fell on them. One soldier was killed, and several others were wounded. A battle erupted, compelling the officer in charge of the unit to request assistance from Jerusalem. When aid arrived, the fighting intensified, but suddenly, the Jews ceased firing, allowing the military convoy to resume its journey.
The following day, the Arab army, reinforced by 500 fighters, attacked Deir al-Sharaf and occupied it. Those remaining Jews fled to Kfar Etzion, and the Arab army continued its march towards Jerusalem after leaving a few fighters to guard the monastery. Exploiting this, the Jews attacked the monastery and managed to recapture it the next day.
On May 12, the Arab army attacked the colony with hundreds of Palestinian fighters. After several hours, the battle escalated, prompting the officer leading the operation to request assistance. Glubb Pasha ordered Captain Abdullah al-Tel to take charge. Al-Tel positioned himself at the head of the well-equipped armored unit and instructed a hundred of his men to advance to remove the barbed wire. When he began shelling, the colony raised the white flag. As the soldiers approached, the Haganah treacherously opened fire, killing 12 and injuring 30 soldiers. They then launched a second attack. Hundreds of Palestinian fighters rushed into the colony, eventually occupying it after most armed Jews were killed.