Israel: Ben-Gurion warned of the dangers of taking Gaza, according to 1950s archives

Israeli documents released on November 8, 2026, show that David Ben-Gurion viewed the 1956 capture of Gaza as an embarrassing objective and a burden, despite considering it militarily necessary. He was concerned about the enclave’s roughly 300,000 residents, including 180,000 to 190,000 refugees, and the moral and diplomatic consequences of occupation. Ben-Gurion called the Sinai campaign a “war of luxury” and warned that a future war could bring attacks on Tel Aviv and Haifa. The archives also describe the contradictory decisions to go to war and then withdraw, Israel’s diplomatic isolation, and the evacuation of 65 Jews from Port Said.