From 'Until Now' to the threat on Tel Aviv | When history from Egypt echoes again

"Woe to Israel if it makes a mistake by attacking the Aswan Dam or Egypt's security," he warned again. Amid the threats, Israel Shapira returns to the story of the Ad Halom Bridge, the northernmost point reached by the Egyptian expeditionary force during the War of Independence (Kikar Hashabbat Magazine).

"One thousand Egyptian vehicles are advancing north."

"The situation is serious," the Prime Minister opened the emergency cabinet meeting. "The latest reports are very concerning. An Egyptian armored column, about a thousand vehicles, is advancing north through Ashdod."

"A force this immense could reach Tel Aviv within hours," the Defense Minister said, his fingers drumming nervously on the table.

"They are advancing almost without resistance," the Foreign Minister added, his voice trembling. "And we have no answer to the Egyptian armor."

"What about the Air Force?" one of the ministers asked.

"Four messengers," the Prime Minister replied. "That's all."

Silence fell over the room. The Haredi minister, sitting at the end of the table, adorned with a white beard, raised his eyes from the book of Psalms in his hands. "Gentlemen," he said quietly, "in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, saves us from their hands. Why should we fear flesh and blood? We have already seen miracles in Egypt. 'The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.' This time too, the hand of God will be with us."

Context:

"The Egyptian army will conquer Tel Aviv in one day," threatened Mostafa Bakri, an Egyptian parliament member and senior media figure, this week.

The unusual threat came against the backdrop of reports of Egyptian military buildup and troop concentration near the border with Israel. "Egypt is always prepared, and one should not underestimate the strong Egyptian army," Bakri added, "and woe to Israel if it makes a mistake by targeting the Aswan Dam or Egypt's security."

These threats resonate disturbingly against a historical site that tells a similar story - the Bridge at Ad Halom, the northernmost point reached by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force during the War of Independence.

On the 5th of Iyar 5708 (May 15, 1948), just hours after the declaration of independence of the State of Israel, the Egyptian expeditionary force crossed the international border line in the Rafah area. The Egyptian force moved north along the coastal route, initially stopping at Majdal (now Ashkelon). A few days later, on the 18th of Iyar 5708 (May 28, 1948), the force continued moving northward without interruption.

But the IDF was already prepared to halt the Egyptian advance. On the 3rd of Iyar 5788 (May 12, 1948), as part of Operation Barak, Company B of the 53rd Battalion of the Givati Brigade blew up the Gesher Ashdod - the bridge at Ad Halom. The move proved itself: on the 19th of Iyar 5788 (May 29, 1948), when the Egyptian force entered Ashdod and continued north, it was stopped at the blown-up bridge.

That evening, the provisional government convened for an urgent discussion. "We received worrying news that a large convoy of Egyptians, about a thousand vehicles, is advancing north through Ashdod," David Ben-Gurion reported to the government members. "We have given orders to our troops in the vicinity."

Ben-Gurion continued and recounted an original plan that went awry.

The Messerschmitts against the Spitfires

"The Messerschmitts were supposed to carry out the first operation at dawn - to bomb the Egyptian Spitfire base in El Arish. This was an attempt to destroy several Spitfires. But after we heard about the Egyptians' advance, we decided to immediately deploy the Messerschmitts to bomb the column," Ben Gurion said.

Indeed, in the early evening, the Egyptian force was surprised by an airstrike from the first four Avia S-199 (Messerschmitt) aircraft of the Israeli Air Force's first fighter squadron. However, as historical sources note, no significant damage was inflicted on the Egyptian force in this attack.

The battle for the bridge continues.

On the night of the 20th of Iyar 5708 (May 30-31, 1948), two companies from the Givati Brigade raided the Egyptian force in the bridge area. Two days later, on the night of the 22nd of Iyar 5708 (June 2-3, 1948), Operation Pleshet began. Although the operation did not succeed in dislodging the Egyptian force from its position (which only happened during Operation Yoav), it managed to pin the Egyptian force to its positions.

The name "Ad Halom" was proposed by the then Chief of Staff, Yigal Allon, "because the Egyptians reached this point in their invasion and here they suffered our blows." Interestingly, initially, in the year 5712 (1952), when the government naming committee discussed the name for a settlement planned to be built in the place, the name "Ad Halom" received only two votes, compared to three votes given to the shortened name – "Halom." However, on August 31, 1952, the name "Ad Halom" became its official name. Although the construction of the settlement did not take place, the name remained attached to the historic bridge.

After the War of Independence, the bridge was restored, and today it is part of the modern Ad Halom Interchange. Following the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, an obelisk-like monument was erected near the bridge in memory of the Egyptian army's fallen soldiers. The monument, established as part of the peace agreement and in exchange for the preservation of Israeli monuments throughout Sinai, bears inscriptions in four languages: Arabic, Hebrew, English, and hieroglyphics.

Seventy-five years have passed since the Egyptian army was halted at the Ad Halom Bridge. In January 5770 (2010), the National Roads Company inaugurated the new Ad Halom Interchange, a project that included the reconstruction of the Ottoman bridge blown up in Operation Litani. In collaboration with the Antiquities Authority, about a thousand new trees were planted, and extensive landscape development work was carried out.

Today, west of the bridge, lies the Ad Halom Park, which features a memorial wall for the fallen, alongside the pillbox and the Vickers gun post from the British Mandate period. The pillbox, built by the Mandate authorities to protect the bridge from sabotage by gang members during the Great Arab Revolt, stands as a silent witness to the layers of history of the place.

It is worth noting that the bridge itself was built in the late 19th century by the Ottoman authorities on the foundations of an ancient bridge from the Mamluk and Roman periods. It served as part of the Jaffa-Gaza road in the section between Yibna and Majdal, and was then called the Jisr Asdud.

And now, as an Egyptian parliament member makes threats about occupying Tel Aviv, it becomes clear that the Ad Halom Bridge is not only a historical site but also a living reminder of the complexities of the relationship between the two countries.

The obelisk-like monument in memory of the Egyptian army's fallen soldiers, standing alongside the Israeli memorial sites, perhaps symbolizes more than anything else the transition from conflict to peace - and the fragility of that peace.