'Ayn al-Zaytun

The village was built on the western slope of Wadi al-Dilb, near the main road leading to the city of Safad. It is likely that Wadi al-Dilb is the same as "Wadi Diliya," mentioned by the Arab geographer al-Dimashqi, who described it as lying between Meiron and Safad. He noted that water flowed from a spring there for an hour or two at a time, then ceased. The village’s name, Ayn al-Zaytoun (Spring of Olives), suggests that there was once a spring in the vicinity.

In 1596, Ayn al-Zaytoun was a village in the subdistrict of Jabal Safad with a population of 622. It paid taxes on agricultural products including wheat, barley, olives, vineyards, and orchards. By the late 19th century, visitors described Ayn al-Zaytoun as a stone-built village located atop a hill north of Safad, with a population estimated between 200 and 350. Due to its proximity to Safad, it was considered a suburb of the city. As the village expanded, houses were constructed southward toward Safad.

The population was entirely Muslim, and the village contained a mosque and a primary school. The villagers relied mainly on agriculture—especially the cultivation of olives, grains, fruits (notably grapes)—most of which was rainfed, though drinking water was obtained from a well and a nearby spring about 800 meters to the north.

In 1944/45, a total of 280 dunums of land was allocated for cereals and 477 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

Ayn al-Zaytoun was attacked by Zionist forces prior to its eventual occupation. According to The New York Times, a raid in January 1948 resulted in the killing of villagers and the bombing of four houses, with gunfire continuing throughout the day.

Later, as part of Operation Yiftach (see Ayn al-Qamh, Safad District), Palmach forces advanced from the north and captured the village on May 1, 1948. Survivors later recounted that at 3:00 AM, the village came under a barrage of mortar shells from eleven launchers, followed by an assault by two infantry platoons.

Eyewitnesses interviewed after their displacement in 1978 stated that armed men from the village executed a tactical withdrawal, while many residents chose to remain in their homes. When Israeli troops entered, they reportedly rounded up the villagers, separating the men and humiliating and expelling the others, firing shots over their heads, according to both local testimony and Israeli sources.

Some of the detained men were later released to join their families, but thirty-seven were taken as prisoners, allegedly selected at random. Israeli historian Benny Morris asserts they were likely among the seventy individuals executed in a ravine between Ayn al-Zaytoun and Safad under orders from the Palmach’s Third Battalion, led by Moshe Kelman.

Morris further notes that Kelman faced difficulties finding soldiers willing to carry out the execution, ultimately assigning two men to complete the task. After the killings, and in anticipation of a Red Cross visit, he reportedly ordered the removal of the prisoners’ hand restraints to conceal the act. This indicates that the massacre was premeditated and deliberately carried out.

Many villagers attempted to return in the days following the attack, but Palmach forces opened fire, reportedly killing one of them. On May 2–3, 1948, Palmach engineers demolished or burned the village homes, a move believed to have been meant to terrorize the residents of Safad, who could observe the destruction from nearby hills.

Current Status of the Village

Ruins of stone houses are scattered across the site, now overgrown with olive trees and cactus. A few abandoned buildings remain, some with arched entrances and tall windows adorned with various carved shapes. One house features a smooth stone above the arched doorway inscribed with a well and a water spring.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

There are no Israeli settlements established on the lands of the former village.