Day 123 of 599 of מלחמת העצמאות MILḤEMET HAʾAẒMAʾUT (War of Independence)

The Attack on the חולדה HULDA convoy. became trapped in mud and came under Arab antizionist attack. פלמ״ח PALMAḤ escorts fought to rescue men and vehicles before retreating. Later accounts commonly give 22 deaths; individual memorials identify נחום Menachem אקסלרוד NAḤUM EKSELROD and חיים Menachem אורמנדו ḤAYIM ORMANDO, both killed that day. Their histories connect migration after the Holocaust with defense of the supply route, without establishing a last-survivor claim.^{1 2 3}

The Bombing of a passenger train. near בנימינה BINYAMINA was reported in the 1 April bulletin with about 40 dead and 60–61 injured, mostly Arab passengers. The presence of imperial soldiers aboard cannot turn civilian passengers into military targets. Attribution to לח״י LEḤI remains traced through the supplied intelligence-file lead, with the original responsibility claim uninspected.⁴

JTA's 31 March dispatch says bread was limited to slightly over half a pound daily per person, while milk and eggs were reserved for children at restricted weekly levels. It warns of hardship for about 100,000 יהודים YEHUDIM. These are announced ration rules and contemporary concern, not a household consumption survey or proof that every resident was starving.⁵

ז׳אק Reynier JACQUES announced a permanent mission in eight cities and called for prisoner-of-war treatment, protected medical care and refuge for vulnerable civilians. The bulletin says the fighting parties promised adherence. A reported promise did not establish consistent treatment of prisoners or actual protection of each hospital. The same report corrected the previous Jaffa bombing attribution to mortar fire.⁶

The The English Empire sent יהודים YEHUDIM to detention in Cyprus. received 737 reported passengers from Yeḥiam. This camp arrival is distinct from the military convoy bearing a related name and from the preceding sea interception. No running passenger total counts the same people again at each stage.⁷

This is Day 123 of the 599-day civil-date series: 1948-03-31. Its public slot is the daytime conversion כ׳ באדר ב׳ ה׳תש״ח 20th 𝑜𝑓 Adar II, AM 5708, 20 Adar II 5708. It is not a claim that every included incident occurred on that Hebrew day. After local sunset, the date becomes כ״א באדר ב׳ ה׳תש״ח 21st 𝑜𝑓 Adar II, AM 5708. Hulda departure and Cyprus arrival are morning 31 March. The train hour is unresolved;1 April is its issue date. ^{8 9}

• How do food rationing and convoy protection join civilian survival to national defense?
• Why must civilian train passengers remain distinct from soldiers aboard?