The siege of El Arish was a military engagement between the French garrison and the Ottoman army.

The Ottoman army, led by the Grand Vizier, Yusuf Pasha, arrived at Jaffa and began negotiations between the belligerents.

[1] El Arish was garrisoned by 300 French men led by Chef de Bataillon Louis-Joseph Elisabeth Cazals.

[3][4] Cazals ordered a captain to attack the Ottomans, who had built trenches around the fort; however, the troops refused to move.

After lengthy discussion, Kléber admitted that the massacre was due to misunderstanding and allowed the negotiations to continue.