On May 12 , the commander of Kfar Etzion requested from the Central Command in Jerusalem permission to evacuate the kibbutz , but was told to stay . Later in the day , the Arabs captured the Russian Orthodox monastery , which the Haganah used as a perimeter fortress for the Kfar Etzion area , killing twenty-four of its thirty-two defenders . On May 13 , a massive attack began , involving parts of two Arab Legion infantry companies , light artillery and local irregular support , attacking from four directions . The kibbutz fell within a day ; and the Arab forces massacred the entire population of Kfar Etzion , soldiers and civilians alike . The total number of dead during the final assault , including those killed in the massacre and those who committed suicide , was estimated to be between 75 and 250 . Only three men and one woman survived . The following day , the day Israel declared its independence , the three other kibbutzim surrendered . The Arab Legion took 320 persons as prisoners of war and held them in Jordan for a year before releasing them
massacred the entire population of Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion massacre
Gush Etzion