The Attack on the Village

On July 9, 1948, a force from the Yiftach Brigade advanced as part of Operation Dani, which aimed to capture the cities of Lydda (Lod) and Ramla. The force split into two groups; one headed south and captured the village of Innaba, then the village of Jimzu on July 10.

Emptying the villages of their inhabitants was the goal from the outset. On July 10, Yiftach Brigade headquarters informed the operation's command that its forces were "clearing" the Innaba–Jimzu–Daniyal area and "torching everything that can be burned." The next day, it reported that it had captured Jimzu and was busy "clearing" the villages and blowing up the houses.

The Massacre

After capturing the village, the attackers expelled the people of Jimzu, who numbered about 1,500. According to Palestinian sources, the soldiers opened fire on the villagers as they fled, killing ten people.

The Aftermath

Two months after the massacre, on September 13, 1948, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion included Jimzu among 14 villages for which he asked a special ministerial committee to approve demolition. In 1950, the Israeli settlement of Gimzo was established on the village's land.