Warfare in Palestine-— FIGHTING FLARES UP: JEW ATTACK ON ARAB CAPITAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1948, Page 5

Warfare in Palestine-— FIGHTING FLARES UP: JEW ATTACK ON ARAB CAPITAL

(Recd. 11 a.m.) LONDON, October 17. Although the Egyptian Acting Foreign Minister, Dr Ibrahim Dessouki Abaza Pasha declared in Cairo tonight that the fighting in Palestine “ended a few hours ago after the Jews suffered heavy losses,” a United Nations spokesman in Haifa said that Israeli forces today launched an air and artillery attack on Gaza, the capital of the new Arab Government for Palestine. The spokesman also said that the United Nations observers were evacuated from Gaza. Unofficial reports from Tel Aviv state that a Jewish motorised column, with strong air support, fought its way yesterday to within a few miles of Gaza. The Associated Press Paris correspondent says that Dr Bunche, acting United Nations mediator in Palestine, proposed a temporary three-day cease-fire order in the Negev to the Israeli government. The Israeli authorities said they would study it.

Dr Bunche conferred with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr Shertok, today, in an effort to stop the fighting. Dr Bunche proposed a ceasefire without withdrawing from the positions now held and that all outstanding questions on this outbreak be taken up later. Reuter’s Tel Aviv correspondent reports that the United Nations representative had earlier informed the Israeli Government that Egypt had told the United Nations she would not order a cease-fire in the Negev, where heavy fighting is in progress on the convoy routes to Jewish settlements, until the Israeli forces cease fire and return to their former positions. Israeli has also rejected the ceasefire request and stated that the aim of

the Negev operations was the openino, of the road to the Jewish settlement. So far no convoy has broken through the Egyptian lines. An Israeli military spokesman in Tel Aviv claimed that the Egyptians had heavily shelled Jewish settlements at Niram, Gvaram and Mekoroth. He added that Jewish planes bombed Egyptian f orces m Maj dal and Faluja. . The spokesman claimed that tne Jews had taken an important height in the Negev after severe hand-to-hand fightings UNO Report The report of the United Nations investigating team to truce headquarters in Palestine suggests that the fighting started when Jews prevented Arab refugees from harvesting their crops on the Jewish side of the truce line. The official Arab League spokesman declared in Amman today that

the Jews violated the truce on a * large scale in Jerusalem last night, firing over 200 shells from Mount Zion and killing three persons, including two civilians, and wounding 15 including six civilians. An Israeli communique issued in Jerusalem stated that Jewish troops beat off Arabs who advanced yes-

terday on Jewish positions on Mount Zion. Later Announcement After Abaza Pasha said the fighting in Palestine had ended, the Egyptian Premier, Nokrashy Pasha, issued a statement that the Jews were continuing the attacks against the Egyptian forces, who were replying. The Associated Press correspondent at Haifa says that United Nations truce observers investigating the Negev fighting said they were not admitted to many Jewish occupied places, the Jews declaring that the area was mined. The United Nations observers suggested that the Arab civilians be allowed to return to their homes and harvest their crops before the rains came and that the Egyptians evacuate the Jewish settlement and not improve their positions.