Ashdod Travelers guide

Ashdod | Good to know 32 to establish Jewish control of the areas meant to become the territory of the State of Israel upon its establishment. On the 29th of May the Egyptian forces began moving quickly to the north, heading for Isdud, while attacking various settlements in the Negev area. Upon arriving at Isdud, they were stopped near Jisr Isdud and attacked by the Israeli forces, including aircraft of the 101st Squadron flying their first ever sortie. During the intense fighting the settlement of Isdud, which at the time numbered about 5,000 people, was destroyed and abandoned, and it remained abandoned until the 1950's. Today its remains can be seen about three kilometers southeast of modern Ashdod. More about: Ad-Halom Bridge The bridge was built by the Turks in the late 19th century over the Wadi Sukrir (Lachish stream) ravine, on the foundation of the original Roman bridge. The bridge, about 35 kilometers from Tel Aviv, was the northernmost point in the country reached by the Egyptian Army forces during War of Independence. Two days before the declaration of independence, the Givati Brigade blew up the bridge as part of "Operation Barak". About two weeks later, when the Egyptian forces began moving north toward Isdud, the Givati brigade soldiers were ordered to embark on "Operation Philistia" with the aid of the Negev Brigade, with the aim of stopping the Egyptian forces from advancing toward the center of the country. In the meantime, the Egyptians were attacked from the air by four Messerschmitt aircraft. On the night between May 30th and 31st, 1948 two Givati companies raided the Egyptian force at the bridge area, and two days later the operation began, in which the soldiers were to surprise the Egyptians in three sectors - north (in the bridge area), central (in the vicinity of the Isdud train station) and southern (in the town of Isdud). However, the activity was postponed after receiving disinformation regarding the Security Council's ceasefire decision, and the element of surprise was lost. On the night between the