Palestinian refugees were forced by Zionist militias to flee their homes during the 'Nakba' - The Catastrophe - of 1948 . File photo.
Historians have recovered official documentation proving that Israeli militias poisoned wells to prevent expelled Palestinians from returning to their home villages during the Nakba in 1948, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday.
Testimonies regarding the act of biological warfare have been heard and publicized for decades, but historians Benny Morris and Benjamin Z. Kedar have found Israeli military documentation that has cast any doubt over its occurrence aside and provided new details regarding its scope, according to Haaretz.
âWe uncovered a lot of new information,â Morris told Haaretz.
âWe deciphered how the operation developed through its various stages; we discovered who authorized, organized and controlled the operation, and how it was carried out in different areas.â
The Ethnic Cleansing of Masafer Yatta: Israelâs New Annexation Strategy in Palestine
The operation, which was codenamed âCast Thy Breadâ, began in April 1948, when Israel, formally established as a state a month later, was in the process of expelling hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland and its army and associated militias committed a host of massacres.
"Right of Return: Nakba is Back on Palestinian Agenda"
Ramzy Baroud's latest analysis article through https://t.co/c9Qbyd1xjc pic.twitter.com/LeUSQP65ig
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 3, 2022
Initially focused on an area between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the poisoning operation expanded to include areas across Palestine.
Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians, Including Doctor, in Jenin
It was at first ordinary soldiers who were tasked with poisoning the wells, but the job was later given to the mistaâarvim, an undercover force who disguised themselves as Palestinians and specialized in sabotage operations in enemy territory, according to the documents.
âPlace the Material in the Wellsâ: Docs Point to Israeli Armyâs 1948 Biological Warfare#POISONINGtheWELLSin1948https://t.co/8ilbzTefDs pic.twitter.com/yasL9S0acL
— #PERMANENT_CEASEFIRE_NOW (@AcrataLisa) October 14, 2022
The poison was produced in a unit in the armyâs Science Corps that dealt with biological warfare.
It was even proposed that the operation be expanded to include Beirut and Cairo, to stop Arab armies from invading â but this part of the scheme did not materialize.
Dozens of people fell ill because of the poisoning, according to previous reports.
Much of the Israeli archives from the Nakba period remain classified â though many new historic details from the period are slowly resurfacing.
