 When the Israeli forces arrived 500 metres ( 1 @,@ 600 ft ) from the fort , they were shelled by Jordanian artillery . Around 6 : 15 pm. one of the tanks was hit by a shell ( or sustained a mechanical damage ) and had to retreat to al @-@ Qubab for repairs . The remaining forces waited for its return and the attack resumed around 7 : 30 pm , but was abandoned around 8 pm . The Israelis counted between 8 and 12 victims . At the same time , elements of the Harel brigade took about 10 villages to the south of Latrun to enlarge and secure the area of the Burma road . The majority of inhabitants had fled the fights in April but those who remained were systematically expelled . 
