Battle of 'Auja
Coordinates: 30°53′10″N 34°25′21″E / 30.885983°N 34.422569°E
The Battle of 'Auja, also called Battle of Nitzana, was a military engagement between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in and around 'Auja (today Nitzana), a small village on the Egypt–Israel border. It was fought on December 26–27, 1948, as part of Operation Horev, an Israeli campaign meant to expel all Egyptian forces from the country. The first stage of the operation was the simultaneous capture of 18 Egyptian positions on the Beersheba–'Auja road, including 7 around 'Auja.
The attack was conducted by 8th Brigade forces, reinforced by troops from the Harel Brigade. It started with maneuvers to the north of 'Auja, which bogged down the Israeli forces that only began the actual assault on December 26. The battle was won in the afternoon of December 27, but only on the morning of December 28 did the 8th Brigade take the two final positions, completing the capture of all 18.
The third and final stage of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War started on October 15, 1948, when Israel launched Operation Yoav on the southern front. While the Israelis made significant tactical and strategic gains in Operation Yoav, the political situation changed little and Egypt was still dragging its feet on proposed armistice talks.Operation Horev was therefore launched in the south with the final aim of expelling all Egyptian forces from Israel. The main thrust of the operation was planned to be in the south and east of the southern front, with the initial aim of cutting the eastern wing of the Egyptian army off from the bulk of its forces in Palestine. It was the largest operation launched by the Israelis during the 1948 Palestine War.
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