Battle of Shu'fat 1948: The Holy Jihad Destroys the Neve Yaakov Convoy North of Jerusalem

The battle of Shu’fat was an ambush laid on 24 March 1948 by Holy Jihad fighters and fighters from Jerusalem and the nearby villages for a Zionist convoy carrying supplies from Jerusalem to the settlements of Neve Yaakov and Atarot north of the city, escorted by two armoured cars. The fighters stopped the convoy, stormed its vehicles and set the two armoured cars ablaze; 14 of its men were killed and 10 wounded, while only two of the fighters were wounded. ^[1][2]

The battle was overseen by the commander Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini, two weeks before his martyrdom at al-Qastal, and ended with the intervention of the British commander; the fighters spared the convoy’s surviving men and allowed the wounded to be evacuated. ^[1]

Contents

1. At a glance
2. The road to the northern settlements
3. 24 March: the ambush
4. Results
5. Differences between the accounts
6. Timeline
7. Frequently asked questions about the Battle of Shu’fat

At a glance

Sources: ^[1][2]

The road to the northern settlements

The settlements of Neve Yaakov and Atarot north of Jerusalem depended on convoys coming from the city through Shu’fat, so the road became a target for the Holy Jihad fighters, who that same month had driven Zionist gunmen out of the Atarot quarries and besieged the settlement. ^[1][2]

24 March: the ambush

On 24 March 1948 Holy Jihad fighters attacked a Zionist convoy carrying supplies from Jerusalem to Neve Yaakov, escorted by two armoured cars, and brought it to a halt. Then fighters poured in from Jerusalem and the nearby villages, stormed the vehicles, set the two armoured cars ablaze and seized the weapons inside them. Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini oversaw the battle, and three commanders of the Great Palestinian Revolt took part. ^[1]

During the battle General MacMillan, commander of the British forces in Palestine, passed by, accompanied by Glubb Pasha, commander of the Jordanian army, and Ahmad Sidqi al-Jundi; they intervened to stop the fighting, and the fighters spared the six surviving men of the convoy and allowed the wounded to be evacuated. ^[1]

Results

The battle left 14 of the convoy’s men dead and 10 wounded, with only six escaping unhurt; the two armoured cars were burned and their weapons captured, while only two of the fighters were wounded. It was part of the Holy Jihad’s campaign to cut the supply routes to the settlements around Jerusalem, stretching from Bab al-Wad in the west to the Ramallah road in the north. ^[1][2]

Differences between the accounts

WAFA and Metras agree on 14 of the convoy’s men killed and two armoured cars destroyed; WAFA gives the convoy’s destination as Neve Yaakov, while Metras names both Neve Yaakov and Atarot. The available sources do not name the three commanders of the 1936 revolt who took part. ^[1][2]

Timeline

Frequently asked questions about the Battle of Shu’fat

When was the Battle of Shu’fat?

On 24 March 1948. ^[1][2]

What did the fighters target?

A Zionist supply convoy from Jerusalem to Neve Yaakov, escorted by two armoured cars. ^[1]

Who oversaw the battle?

The commander Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini, with three commanders of the 1936 revolt. ^[1]

What were the results?

14 of the convoy’s men killed and 10 wounded and both armoured cars burned, against two fighters wounded. ^[1][2]

Read also on Palestinuna

• Depopulated villages
• Battles archive

Sources and references

1. WAFA – Palestinian National Information Centre, “Battles of the Nakba”: “The Battle of Shu’fat” (in Arabic).
2. “The Main Battles of the Nakba: A Timeline,” Metras (in Arabic).