This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.Inconclusive The Battle of Rafah was a military engagement between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in the final stage of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

The main Egyptian column moved up the coastal plain in the following days, stopping at Isdud and establishing its headquarters in Majdal.

The Israeli Southern Command, under Yigal Allon, planned to encircle the Egyptians from the Sinai Peninsula, without the knowledge of the General Staff.

Due to international pressure however, Allon's forces retreated from the Sinai and prepared instead to encircle the Egyptians by capturing the positions south of Rafah.

In the plateau between the dunes, the British built a large military base on both sides of the border in World War II.

The second assault, this time involving armored units, was repelled by the Egyptians who had reinforced the position with anti-tank weapons in the meantime.

[3] The forces achieved complete surprise and were only discovered about 50 m away from the inner defensive perimeter, which they were able to penetrate and overwhelm the Egyptians in a matter of minutes, taking prisoners.

[3] On the night of January 6–7, the 4th Battalion (Harel), under David Elazar, captured an area further west and dug in, effectively surrounding the remaining Egyptian forces in Palestine, as envisioned by the Israeli command.

[8] At the night of January 7–8, Israeli forces bombed the coastal railway to stop any possibility of supply for the encircled Egyptians.

By this time, the Egyptian political echelon had agreed to negotiate armistice with the Israelis, on the condition that Israel withdraws its forces.

The Southern Command chief Yigal Allon was against accepting the terms, but on January 7 Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion agreed.