Office of the Historian

57. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State1

Tel Aviv,March 25, 1955—11 a.m.

818. According to information supplied by Israel Foreign Office and IDF–FLO at 23:45 March 24, two hand grenades thrown into room where wedding party in progress at Pattish (MC 108–82) and later two bursts of automatic fire directed against party. Foreign Office reports one woman killed, two severely wounded, sixteen slightly wounded.IDF–FLO report one woman killed, nineteen persons wounded, four seriously. Three empty Sten guns cartridges found; safety pin from Mills–type grenade and tracks of two barefoot men allegedly leading in direction Gaza border some 20 kilometers west of Pattish.UN investigation requested.2

Comment: This incident, again demonstrating deep penetration into Israel, which was one of actuating factors of the Gaza incident, bound to cause flare-up in smoldering passions.

Lawson
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–2555. Limited Official Use;Niact. Received at 6:39 a.m. Sent priority to Cairo and repeated to Jerusalem, Amman, Beirut, Baghdad, and Damascus.↩
  2. In telegram 824, March 25, the Embassy in Tel Aviv further informed the Department that U.N. observers had traced the trail of the two men responsible for the Pattish incident and reported that their tracks led across the demarcation line into the Gaza Strip near Sheik Nabham. (Ibid.)↩