Operation Yoav - Ten Plagues

Operation Yoav  (October 15-22 1948) was a military operation of the IDF in the 1948-49 Israel War of Independence with the strategic aim of destroying the Egyptian military expedition in Israel and opening the road to the Negev. It was only partially successful. The operation was originally called "10 plagues." It was renamed Yoav in honor of a Haganah member who fell in defense of Kibbutz Negba.  The chief accomplishments of operation Yoav were the capture of Beersheva and the isolation of a part of the eastern arm of the Egyptian expeditionary force in an area around Iraq el Sueidan (Qiriat Gat) and Faluja (Plugot) - known as the Faluja pocket.

The Egyptians had invaded Israel and effectively cut off the Negev, due to be part of Israel under the partition plan, from the rest of the country. The Negev included over 50% of the land area of the new state. In the light of Egyptian success, and despite the principle of non-acquisition of territory by military force, the Bernadotte Plan awarded the Negev to the Arabs, and there was a clear danger that it would be adopted. By this time, the extent of Israeli military superiority was evident, and the UN was careful to impose cease fire agreements in accordance with the convenience of the Arab side. 

The operation was carried out pursuant to a government decision of October 6. The original intent was to open the road to the Negev, but commander Yigal Allon broadened the aim to include the defeat and destruction of the Egyptian forces in Israel. This latter goal was not achieved. The operation was part of a broader effort to capture the south and the Negev, and an overall strategic concept which sought to deal first with the southern and northern fronts, and then to capture Jerusalem and the Hebron area after securing the wings. This grand concept was frustrated by political developments and by the still limited resources of the IDF. Operation Yoav was one of the largest IDF operations to date. It put into play the concept of separate regional fronts or operational theaters that had evolved in the IDF in August of 1948, and it involved coordinated attacks by several divisions as well as air attacks.

The government decision of October 6 noted that the operation could not be carried out in defiance of the UN, and it assumed that the Jordanians would not attack, allowing the use of resources from the Jerusalem and central front. The Negev, Givati, Yiftach, Harel and Oded Brigades participated, as well as a battalion of the Eighth Armored brigade, a large artillery force, the Israel navy and the 69th air squadron (B-17 Flying Fortresses) and other IAF units. The map shows the approximate deployment of forces.

On the 15th, after notifying the UN, a convoy was sent through to the Negev in order to provoke an incident. Under the truce agreement, the Egyptians were supposed to allow such convoys to pass. After sufficient provocation, the Egyptians duly fired on the convoy, providing an sufficient reason for violating the truce. 

Yigal Allon gave several lectures on the conception of operation Yoav, strategic aspects and the history. He was quite frank about the use of the convoy as an excuse for breaking the truce. Allon noted that the Egyptian deployment, while formidable in some aspects, was also very strange. The positions in the northern Negev had no strategic depth and they suffered from very extended and exposed supply lines. The strategy took advantage of the situation of the Egyptian situation to isolate a part of the Egyptian force in the eastern area of the country.

Yigal Allon (right at microphone) in 1949. The bearded gentleman behind him was Yitzhak Sadeh.

On the evening of October 15, Gaza, Majdal and Beith Hanun were bombed, and part of the Air Force at El-Arish was put out of action by Israel's two B-17s. This kept most of the Egyptian  fighters out of the skies and gave the IDF air superiority. The commando battalion of the “Yiftach” Brigade mined the railway between El-Arish and Rafah and various roads in the Rafah-Gaza area, and attacked Egyptian installations and camps. At the same time, two battalions of the “Givati” Brigade forced a wedge southwards to the east of Iraq El-Manshiyeh, thus cutting the road between Faluja and Beit Guvrin.

On the morning of 16 October, a tank battalion of the 8th Armored Brigade, along with the seventh infantry battalion of the 'Negev' Brigade, launched a major attack against El-Manshiyeh  to open the corridor to the south-east. The attackers had no experience in attacking fortified positions of that kind. The attempt failed, four Hotchkiss tanks were destroyed and the force suffered heavy losses.

Yigal Allon decided to focus instead on the area that became known as "Givati Juncion" to achieve a breakthough there. The next night, Givati brigade units attacked west of Faluja, fighting their key battles at Hill 113 and nearby Egyptian strongholds known as the junction positions dominating the crossroads between Majdal and Faluja. After a fierce hand-to-hand battle (including biting!), Hills 113 and 100 were captured, and a day later the junction positions and Kaukaba were taken, driving a wedge between the eastern and western parts of the Egyptian army.

The detailed map below shows the wide operations that were part of Yoav. They  included parts of south central Israel then controlled by the Egyptians, and in later phases, reached Beersheva. 

Given the probable reimposition of a cease fire in a few days, Allon realized that he had little time to open the road to the Negev. He ordered the Givat” Brigade to attack the formidable Huleiqat defense system south on October 19-20. The attack  was successful in capturing the fortifications after bitter fighting. The road to the Negev was now open. At 4:00 on the morning of October 21,  mounted by major elements of the 8th Brigade, the Negev Beasts commando battalion and two other battalions of the 'Negev' Brigade began the attack on Beersheva. Some of the units took up blocking positions north and south of the town to hold up Egyptian reinforcements, and one carried out a diversionary action in the direction of Hebron to the north. After fierce fighting, the battalion strength Egyptian garrison broke and, by 09:00 hrs that morning, Beersheba surrendered to Israeli forces. The local inhabitants fled as the Israeli army entered the town.

Captured Egyptian anti-tank gun entering Beersheva with Negev Beasts commandos.