Day 374 of 599 of מלחמת העצמאות MILḤEMET HAʾAẒMAʾUT (War of Independence)

After a radio failure, an aircraft dropped a written report about assembling Egyptian forces at about 14:00. יצחק שדה YIẒḤAK SADE ordered the 89th Battalion to counterattack, and armored forces struck near Khirbat Ma’in about 16:00. The enemy withdrew. Kadish regards this as the effective end of the operation, distinct from the defensive fighting on December 6. See the campaign study. ¹

At 19:00, commanders reviewed the position and assigned holding tasks, expulsion of inhabitants described as hostile and demolition of their huts. The phrase does not establish every resident’s combatant status. The order does not count removals or completed destruction. This evening assignment falls on the next Hebrew date; household outcomes require evidence beyond the order. ²

דוד בן Gurion DAVID BEN inaugurated כביש הגבורה KVIŜ HAʾGEVURA, according to the Defence Ministry’s December 7 account. A more reliable route sustained transport and supply for יהודים YEHUDIM in ירושלים YERUŜALAYIM while לטרון LATRUN remained under Arab Legion control. The road study retains JTA’s conflicting December 8 “today” wording. Neither opening date proves that the original highway became available. ^{3 4}

This is Day 374 of the 599-day civil-date series: 1948-12-07. The Gregorian daytime date is converted to the fixed Ivrit calendar. Its public daytime route is ה׳ בכסלו ה׳תש״ט 5th 𝑜𝑓 Kislev, AM 5709; after local sunset, the Hebrew date is ו׳ בכסלו ה׳תש״ט 6th 𝑜𝑓 Kislev, AM 5709. The civil-day slot does not assign every incident this same Hebrew date. The counterattack is December 7. The 19:00 meeting belongs to ו׳ בכסלו ה׳תש״ט 6th 𝑜𝑓 Kislev, AM 5709. The road ceremony’s December 7 assignment is supported by the Defence Ministry but its hour is unheld; JTA’s relative wording conflicts. No new civilian count is inferred from demolition tasks. ⁵

• What changed when the defenders counterattacked?
• Which evidence could reconcile the road’s December 7 and December 8 witnesses?