The tension resulting from the continuous infiltration of Israel territory by armed Arabs from Egyptian-held territory in the Negev region reached new heights in Israel today following the murder of two Israelis and the wounding of two others by a gang of eight armed infiltrees last night.
The four Jews, peaceful settlers returning in a horse-drawn wagon from Migdal Askelon to Beit Hashkima, were ambushed by the eight Arabs. Two of the four were ordered out of the cart to unharness the horse, which was later stolen. While they were at this task their two companions were murdered. The first two were then shot and left behind for dead.
Israel immediately protested the incident to the Mixed Armistice Commission, which assigned United Nations observers to study the incident. The observers followed the tracks of the marauders to the Egyptian border nearly ten miles from the scene of the attack. The horse’s harness and British-made spent cartridges were found near the scene.
An Israel Government spokesman today charged that “this brutal murder of two peaceful farmers and the wounding of two others comes as the climax of a series of aggressive acts on the part of Egypt, involving murder, sabotage and pillage.” He also reviewed the whole series of incidents and attacks along the Israel-Egyptian border which have mounted in number and intensity during the past few weeks.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
