(Justin, this is the massacre with the picture of the old lady I was speaking of) October 14-15, 1953: This village was the object of a brutal Israeli attack which was carried out by units from the regular Israeli Army as part of a pre-meditated plan and in which a variety of weapon types were used. On the evening of October 14, an Israeli military force estimated at about 600 soldiers moved toward the village. Upon arrival, it surrounded and isolated it from the neighboring villages.

The attack began with concentrated, indiscriminate artillery fire on the homes. This continued until the main force reached the outskirts of the village. Meanwhile, other forces headed for nearby Arab towns such as Shuqba, Badrus and Na’lin in order to distract them and prevent any aid from reaching the people in Qibya. They also planted mines on various roads so as to isolate the village completely. As units of the Israeli infantry were attacking the village residents, units of military engineers were placing explosives around some of the houses in the village and blowing them up with everyone in them under the protection of the infantrymen, who fired on everyone attempting to flee. These acts of brutality continued until 4:00 a.m., October 15, 1953, at which time the enemy forces withdrew to the bases from which they had begun.

There was a particular sight, the memory of which remained in the minds of all who saw it: an Arab woman sitting on a pile of debris and casting a forlorn look into the sky. From beneath the rubble one could see small legs and hands which were the remains of her six children, while the bullet-maimed body of her husband lay in the road before her.

This vicious terrorist attack resulted in the destruction of 56 houses, the village mosque, the village school and the water tank which supplied it with water. Moreover, 67 citizens lost their lives, both men and women, with many others wounded. Terrorist Ariel Sharon, the commander of the “101” unit which undertook the terrorist aggression, stated that his leaders’ orders had been clear with regard to how the residents of the village were to be dealt with. He says, “The orders were utterly clear: Qibya was to be an example to everyone.”