According to Morris , the Arab Liberation Army soldiers were demoralized by reports of the Deir Yassin massacre and the death of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni . Throughout battle , they had generally been forced to withdraw and to abandon the people of the villages . Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins report that Joshua Palmon , head of a unit of 6 men , failed to seize invaluable pieces of artillery , and they depict the events as a débâcle for which Fawzi Al-Qawuqji offered extravagant excuses , declaring in particular that the Jewish forces has 120 tanks , six squadrons of fighter and bomber aircraft and that they were supported by a regiment of gentile Russian volunteers . According to Morris , " according to Ben-Gurion , some 640 Haganah soldiers had faced about twenty-five hundred ALA troops , with superior firepower — and bested them " . When the battle finished , Palmach forces continued ' cleaning ' operations until 19 April , destroying several villages and forcing those who inhabited them to flee . Some villages were also evacuated under the instruction of Arab authorities
Deir Yassin massacre
Deir Yassin massacre
1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine