al-Mansura

The village was situated on a flat stretch of land near the western bank of the Banias River, not far from the Syrian border. Travelers who passed through it in the late nineteenth century described it as a village built of stone and mud in a plain near a river. It was surrounded by agricultural lands, and the entire population of modern Al-Mansura were Muslims. In 1944/1945, a total of 1,249 dunams of its lands were irrigated or used for orchards. Several ruins and archaeological hills were located near the village.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

Several clashes occurred near Al-Mansura in the early months of the war. The New York Times reported a skirmish near the village on the afternoon of February 12, 1948, between British soldiers and a superior military force (likely units of the Arab Salvation Army). The British patrol engaged the Arab force, suffering one soldier lost, while no casualties were reported among the Arab forces. On the afternoon of March 5, 1948, a Haganah unit of 15 men reached the outskirts of the village, according to Falastin newspaper, which was followed by a brief clash resulting in one villager being wounded. Al-Mansura was depopulated on May 25, 1948, at the conclusion of Operation Yiftach, due to a combination of psychological warfare and direct military assault, tactics that also caused the displacement of residents from other nearby villages.

The Village Today

The village has been completely erased, and it is difficult for an observer to recognize any remains of its former structures. The site has been converted by Israelis into a fish farm, comprising fish breeding pools surrounded by thorns and trees.

Israeli Settlements on the Village Lands

The settlement of Shagir Yashuv (210292), established in 1940, is located approximately one kilometer northeast of the village site.