1956 Eilat bus ambush


The 1956 Eilat bus ambush was an attack on an Egged bus traveling from Tel-Aviv to Eilat on August 16, 1956. The Israeli civilian bus was ambushed by a Fedayeen squad on August 16, 1956. Four passengers were killed and three were injured.

The attack

On Thursday, 16 August 1956, a Palestinian Fedayeen squad infiltrated into Israel from Jordan. The militants reached Be'er Menucha in the Arava region and prepared an ambush in a ditch on the side of the road.
Around noon, the weekly Egged bus #391 from Tel-Aviv to Eilat, escorted by an IDF military vehicle, was attacked by gunfire as it passed Be'er Menucha. Three Israeli soldiers and a female civilian were killed. In addition, three civilian passengers were injured.