from Safad and took 23 men from Ayn Zaytoon, stripped them of watches and wallets, took them to a hill and shot them. Israelis were looking for other Israelis to kill Arabs; many Jews in Safad were Hassidis (strictly observant). Other Arabs were expelled towards Germak mountain". Aftermath The Syrians subsequently charged that "women had been raped". The destruction of Ein al Zeitun and the consequent massacre terrified the Arabs of Safed and probably contributed to their flight in the coming days. Hans Lebrecht says he was ordered to build a temporary pump station and divert the village stream, Ayn Zaytun, to supply water to his battalion. The village had been destroyed, and among the debris there were many bodies. "In particular, we found many bodies of women, children and babies near the local mosque. I convinced the army to burn the bodies." See also Depopulated Palestinian locations in Israel Zionist political violence References Bibliography Abbasi, M. (2004). The battle for Safad in the war of 1948: A revised study. International Journal of Middle East Studies, vol. 36, 21–47. (p. 130) (pp. 222-223) p. 36. Pappé, Ilan (2006): The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, London and New York: Oneworld, p.111-113 Quigley, John B. (2005). Case for Palestine: An International Law Perspective. Duke University Press. , p. 61. History of Mandatory Palestine Massacres in Mandatory Palestine May 1948 events in Asia Zionist terrorism 1948 massacres of Palestinians