JERUSALEM, April 6 (AP)-Jews raided the biggest British military camp in Northern Palestine today, killed the commanding officer and six other soldiers, and escaped with a large amount of guns and ammunition, a military statement said.
Some of the Jews wore the blue uniforms of the Palestine police, the British said. Jewish sources here said the attackers were members of Irgun Zvai Leumi, an underground group. Six British soldiers were wounded.
The camp, occupied by the 12th British anti-tank regiment, is located on the coast near Pardes Hannah, 25 miles south of Haifa. Military equipment seized included 62 rifles, 38 Sten guns, 18 Bren guns, 4 Pitt guns and an unknown quantity of ammunition.
Several hundred Arabs launched an attack tonight on the Jewish settlement of Lehavot in Upper Galilee, Jewish sources said. Haganah, the Jewish army, was returning the Arab fire but the outcome was not yet known, the informants added.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem thousands of Jews welcomed the first big food convoy to reach the city in many days. Fifty trucks made the trip over roads menaced by Arab snipers and brought food and supplies to hungry Jews inside the holy city.
A military accord between Irgun and Haganah, which had been imminent for several weeks, seemed farther than before from realization. The Jewish agency March 11 ratified the agreement subject to a referendum of agency members in London and New York.
The raid on the military camp today was seen as Irgun’s disavowal of any policy or restraint toward the British.
Irgun Zvai Leumi has not attacked the British in the Holy Land for several months. Some feared the raid on the military camp might be the signal for new Irgun assaults on British military personnel in the wake of the United Nations decision to reconsider partition of Palestine.
Arabs renewed their attacks on Kastel village five miles west of Jerusalem on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road. The Jews still clung to the village stronghold they seized four days ago in order to break the Arab cordon preventing food convoys from reaching Jerusalem’s 100,000 Jews.