Beersheba through Mamshit towards Sodom. From there it made an amphibious landing near Ein Gedi through the Dead Sea. On March 8, Golani conquered Ein Ghamr. The defending Jordanian forces withdrew. Simultaneously, Negev forces moved towards Umm Rashrash through the Valley of Fingers. At night, the Alexandroni Brigade set sail from Sodom on the Dead Sea and landed at Ein Gedi before dawn. This was called Operation Itzuv ("Stabilization"). On March 8–9, the Alexandroni Brigade split into three groups, one of which captured Ein Gedi and the southern group captured Masada. During that time the Negev Brigade stayed at the Valley of Fingers for two days, looking for a roundabout way to reach Ras al-Naqb. On March 9, Golani forces captured Gharandal and proceeded to Ein Ghadyan (now Yotvata). In the morning of March 10, an aerial photographer discovered that the police station guarding Ras al-Naqb was abandoned. The Negev Brigade set out towards Umm Rashrash through Ras al-Naqb. Negev and Golani Brigades actively competed on who would reach the Red Sea first, and on March 10 at 15:00, the Negev Brigade accomplished the feat, reaching the abandoned police station at Umm Rashrash (where the city of Eilat was later built). The Golani Brigade arrived two hours later. Because Operation Uvda was the last military operation during the war, the raising at the police station of the hand-drawn Israeli flag (popularly known as the Ink Flag) on March 10 at 16:00 is considered to have ended the war. The front commander sent this telegram at the conclusion of the campaign: "On Hagana day, the 11th of Adar, the Palmach Negev brigade and the Golani brigade present the Gulf of Eilat to the State of Israel". Gallery See also Uvda (Israel) Ovda Airport Operation Horev References External links Presentation, including a map, showing the Israeli progress in Operation Uvda Uvda Eilat March 1949 events in Asia