In what The Baltimore Sun described as the "heaviest engagement" of the revolt to date,[2] a convoy of Egged civilian buses was traveling under the protection of British troops when it was ambushed at a point about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Anabta by an estimated 60 to 70 Arab fighters – part of a faction controlled by Ibrahim Nassar – in an encounter that rapidly escalated into a "pitched battle".

[3][4][5][6] Sergeant Henry Sills of the Seaforth Highlanders was killed early in the battle; his body was later dragged off the road and into a cave by Arab irregulars.

[11] According to Sonia Nimr, who variously describes this event as an "ambush" and a "battle," this was "perhaps the most important engagement," of the Arab general strike that took place in Mandatory Palestine from April through October 1936, with fighting on a "large enough" scale that the British needed to call in reinforcements, and an entire day's fighting required to regain control from the insurgents.

[12] According to Nimr, Mandate authorities issued an arrest warrant for Abd al-Rahim al-Hajj Muhammad as a result of this battle.

[12] The insurgent strategy used in this battle, "ambush a motorized convoy," then disperse into the civilian population, made it difficult for the British to identify and defeat the militants.