Operation Nachshon
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The objective of Operation Nachshon (or Nahshon), an Israeli military operation in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, was to open up the Jerusalem road that had been besieged by the Arabs. It was named after the Biblical figure Nachshon Ben Aminadav who was the first to wade into the Red Sea when the Hebews escaped from slavery in Egypt. The operation was commanded by Shimon Avidan. It was the first major Haganah operation and the first step of Plan Dalet whos aim was to secure the area allotted to the Jews by the 1947 UN Partition Plan.
Operation Nachshon began on April 6, 1948 and lasted until April 12 after the road had been cleared. The road remained open for a short while and was again shut down, leading to the Siege of Jerusalem.
The name is a reference to the son of Aminadab, a wizard mentioned first at Exodus 6:23. The name also appears in Matthew 1:4 in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Brigades participating in Operation Nachshon
- Givati Brigade
- Irgun and Lehi participated in the peripheral capture of Deir Yassin which weren't originally included in the plan.