On May 13, 1974, a group of three armed members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) infiltrated Israel from Lebanon. The terrorists crossed the border undetected into Israel.
Their first encounter with Israeli civilians occurred at Moshav Avivim, where they ambushed a van carrying Christian Arab women from a nearby village. They murdered two women in cold blood, signaling the start of their brutal campaign. The terrorist trio then proceeded towards Ma’alot, eventually reaching the town under the cover of darkness.

On the night of May 14, the terrorists infiltrated the Netiv Meir Elementary School, where a group of about 105 Israeli teenagers from Safed were staying during a school trip. The terrorists quickly overpowered the school’s guards and took the students and several teachers hostage. They fortified their positions within the school, preparing for a prolonged standoff.

The terrorists soon issued their demands: the release of 23 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. They set a deadline of 6:00 p.m. on May 15, threatening to execute the hostages if their demands were not met. The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Golda Meir, was immediately thrust into a state of emergency. The situation was dire, with the lives of innocent children hanging in the balance. Israeli officials engaged in frantic negotiations with the terrorists, seeking to buy time while preparing for a possible military intervention. In parallel, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) began formulating a rescue plan. Sayeret Matkal, an elite counter-terrorism unit, was tasked with the mission. They gathered intelligence on the school layout and the terrorists’ positions, aiming to conduct a swift and decisive assault.

As the deadline approached on May 15, the IDF finalized their rescue operation plans. The assault began at around 5:30 p.m., just before the terrorists’ deadline. The operation was meticulously planned to surprise the terrorists and minimize harm to the hostages. Snipers took up positions around the school, providing covering fire while breaching teams used explosives to create entry points.

Assault teams stormed the building from multiple directions, entering through windows and doors to confuse and disorient the terrorists. The teams moved quickly through the school, clearing rooms one by one using flash-bang grenades to stun and incapacitate the terrorists without causing undue harm to the hostages. The assault teams faced immediate and intense gunfire upon entering the building, particularly on the second floor, where most of the hostages were held. Despite the precision and speed of the assault, the terrorists began executing hostages as the IDF teams advanced.

The tragic outcome of the rescue operation was the death of 22 children and 3 adults. The terrorists, using the hostages as human shields, caused significant casualties before being neutralized by the IDF. All three terrorists were killed in the operation, but the cost in innocent lives was devastating. Once the building was secured, the focus shifted to evacuating the nearly 100 wounded.