A Journey Marked by Tragedy: The Ma'ale Akrabim Attack

The city of Eilat was the last area to be captured in the country. On the 9th of Adar, 5709, Operation Uvda concluded with the capture of the Negev and the Umm Rashrash police station, where Eilat now stands. The soldiers hadn't brought an Israeli flag, so they drew one on a white sheet, and the famous 'ink flag' was raised. Seventeen years earlier, on the 9th of Adar II, 5709, marking 59 years since the flag's creation, a grand ceremony unfolded north of Eilat, where an enormous Israeli flag was displayed in honor of the event. According to the Guinness Book of Records, it's the world's largest flag: 200 meters long and 100 meters wide. But our story takes place five years after the raising of the ink flag. Celebrations took place in Eilat to mark this event.

On the 12th of Adar, 5709, an Egged bus set out from Eilat back to Tel Aviv. There were 11 passengers and four soldiers on board who joined to secure the journey. The road to Eilat wasn’t like today's Arava Road but passed through the crater and down to the southern Negev, with Ma'ale Akrabim stretching in between. This steep, winding path is mentioned in biblical texts as a border point. Here, terrorists awaited the bus passengers, aiming to massacre them. This was the first attack against civilians in Israel.

As the bus reached Ma'ale Akrabim, gunfire erupted. The attackers aimed to kill the driver, causing the bus to plunge into a ravine, but the driver, Kalman Eshroni, managed to stop the bus despite being shot. He even opened the doors for the passengers to flee. The terrorists fired upon the escaping passengers, then entered the bus to confirm their kills. Though the soldiers had weapons, they weren't ready to fire, and sadly, they were killed before they could react. The substitute driver, Ephraim Firstenberg, attempted to return fire but was also killed by the gunmen.

The attack's commander was Said Ibn Bandak. Ruthlessly, before leaving, he ensured every passenger was dead. Despite this, the substitute driver’s five-year-old daughter, Miri, survived, shielded by the body of a soldier. Her nine-year-old brother, Chaim, was shot in the head but didn't die and was paralyzed for years until passing away in 1986, becoming the 12th victim of the attack.

Shortly after, a military jeep passed through the area. The soldiers, alarmed and fearing the terrorists might still be there, fled. They were later punished by the IDF. Only when the head of the Egged bus station in Be'er Sheva realized the bus was delayed, he searched the route and discovered the horrific scene. He rescued Miri Firstenberg and three other injured but surviving passengers.

The Israeli government decided to photograph the bodies scattered around the bus to influence global opinion. The perpetrators infiltrated from Jordan, leading Israel to demand that the Armistice Committee condemn Jordan. The committee refused, sparking widespread anger and resentment across the country. The Prime Minister asked a famous singer to write a 'happy song' to lift the nation's spirits. Days later, a retaliatory operation led by Ariel Sharon killed Jordanian National Guard and Arab Legion members. Only on November 10, 1968, did a Shaked Patrol troop encounter a terrorist cell in Sinai, killing their leader, the murderer Said Abu Bandak, who commanded the massacre.

Miri Firstenberg lives to a ripe old age. Unfortunately, her grandson's wife was killed in the Simchat Torah massacre. In an interview, Miri said: "They acted the exact same way as seventy years ago".