Early Evacuation Of British Troops Due in Palestine, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, June 10, 1948.

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LONDON, June 9 (AP) – A high government source said today Britain’s evacuation of Palestine possibly will be completed by the end of June or in early July.

He said only 5000 or 6000 troops remain in Haifa, north Palestine seaport and Britain’s chief remaining toe hold in the Holy Land.

The evacuation deadline announced when Britain gave up her Palestine mandate was August 1.

Planes, Tanks Patrol Camps on Cyprus

NICOSA, Cyprus, June 9 (AP)-British planes and light tanks kept watch today on Jewish internment camps where inmates are on hunger strikes.

About 24,000 Jews are held in Cyprus. They were taken there after trying to enter Palestine without visas during the British mandate. The British ruled Jews of military age would not be allowed to go to Israel while truce negotiations are in effect. The strike resulted.
Jews Attack Barrier on Jerusalem Supply RouteBy the Associated Press

In the twilight period between acceptance and effectiveness of the Palestine truce, fighting continued in the Holy Land Wednesday.

A Trans-Jordan Arab Legion communique said Jews, 1000 strong attacked at Bab El Wad gorge Tuesday night. The gorge is astride the supply road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The bulletin said the Jews were repulsed, leaving 56 killed and a large quantity of ammunition on the field. The fighting continued until just before dawn Wednesday.

“Our forces continued shelling and firing at the retreating Jews, causing additional casualties,” the Arab Legion bulletin said.

Jewish warplanes attacked Arab positions outside the borders of Palestine.

For the second time since the Arab-Jewish war erupted, Israeli warplanes struck at troop concentrations in an Arab state, bombing forces near the Lebanese town of Benat Ibail, according to a late communique. Benat Ibail is about five miles north of the Palestinian-Lebanese border.

Jews still battled Egyptians in the Isdud area on the coastal route to Tel Aviv, and Jews and Arabs fought in the northern Nablus-Tulkarm-Jenin triangle, held by the Arabs.

EGYPTIAN FORCE

The Jews still claimed to have surrounded the Egyptian spearhead at Isdud, 23 miles south of Tel Aviv.

(The truce terms calling for a stand-still in the front lines presumably would leave this Egyptian force of about 1000 surrounded if it does not break out before the truce begins.)

An Iraq communique said another battle lasting three hours was fought in the Jenin area and another Jewish attack on the northern anchor of the Arab triangle was repulsed. The Iraqis said they had recaptured Lajjun, 11 miles northwest of Jenin, throwing the Jews back practically at the starting point of their recent offensive from that direction.

Artillery fire continued in Jerusalem itself. A pooled dispatch from the Holy City said Jewish-held areas of the new city were hit with anti-personnel shelling late Tuesday, and that Tuesday night the Jews staged a swift counterattack against what looked like the beginning of an Arab offensive drive from the Damascus Gate of Arab-held old Jerusalem.

ARAB ARTILLERY

The Arab commander in old Jerusalem said his artillery shelled the fortress-like Jewish Agency building, nerve center of Jerusalem Jewry, and scored 15 shell hits.

The Israeli command said Egyptian guns also shelled western parts of the city from south, and that Arab Legion armored vehicles tried to break into Jewish positions in the Musrara quarter of the city.

(United Press reported Egypt’s war communique, issued long after the truce acceptance, said that its naval units demolished port installations at Naharia, on the coast north of Haifa. Ground forces captured Deir Nakh-Khas and Tarqumiya, on the road between El Majdal and Hebron in the south. Artillery shelled the Talpiyoth and Katamon suburbs in southern Jerusalem.)

Egyptian fighter bombers again raided Tel Aviv, dropping sticks of bombs across the town.