2 January – Armed Palestinian Arab militants attacked and killed two hikers in theJudean Desert.
18 January – Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated into Israel fromJordan, kill Eliezer Katz and Hector Eidman, two Jewish immigrants from Argentina and Brazil who worked in moshavAgur.[1]
31 January – TwoEgyptian Jews,Moshe Marzouk andShmuel Azar [he], are executed inEgypt, having been convicted of espionage and sabotage for Israel, in what becomes known as the "Lavon Affair". Two other Jews had died in custody awaiting trial. The executions spark widespread mourning across Israel.
2 February – Israeli defense ministerPinhas Lavon is forced to resign following theLavon Affair.
12 February – Shoshana Har-Zion and Oded Wegmeister are murdered whilst on a trek on the Jordanian side of the Armistice Line. Three weeks later Shashana's brother,Meir, and three friends torture and kill five Bedouin.
13 February – Israel obtains four of the sevenDead Sea Scrolls, which had been discovered in thecaves in and around the ruins of the ancient settlement ofKhirbet Qumran on the northwest shore of theDead Sea in theJudean Desert.
28 February – 1 March –Operation Black Arrow: AnIDF operation carried out inGaza (then underEgyptian control) from 28 February through 1 March 1955. The operation is aimed at the Egyptian army. 38 Egyptian and eight Israeli soldiers are killed during the operation and 30 Egyptians and thirteen Israelis are wounded. According to the Egyptian PresidentGamal Abdel Nasser, this operation was the main motivation for Egypt's major arms deal withCzechoslovakia in 1955.
25 March – Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated into Israel from theGaza Strip, throw hand grenades and open fire on a crowded wedding celebration in moshavPatish; one young Israeli woman is killed and 18 other guests are wounded.
27 July – After straying into Bulgarian airspace,El Al Flight 402 was shot down by two MiG-15 fighter jets, resulting in the deaths of all 58 on board.
29 August – Beit Hanan attack: a Palestinian Fedayeen squad carried out a shooting attack in Israel near the village Beit Hanan. Four Israeli civilians were killed in the attack and 10 additional people were injured.[citation needed]
31 August –Operation Elkayam: AnIDF operation carried out against the police force inKhan Yunis, from where attacks had been launched against Israelis. 72 Egyptian soldiers are killed during the operation. The operation is followed by a massive buildup of Egyptian troops in theGaza Strip.
1 September – Two Egyptian fighter jets penetrate Israeli airspace, and are shot down by theIsraeli Air Force in a dogfight overYad Mordechai.
27 October – 200 Paratroopers, commanded byAriel Sharon, attack the Egyptian outpost at Kuntilla, on the southernNegev border, killing 12 Egyptian soldiers. Two Israelis are killed.[3]
2 November –Operation Volcano: AnIDF operation carried out against Egyptian military outposts at al Sabha and Wadi Siram along the Negev border following the invasion by Egyptian forces of the Israeli youth village and communal settlementNitzana. 70 Egyptian and seven Israeli soldiers are killed and 48 Egyptian soldiers are captured during the operations.[4]
11 December –Operation Olive leaves: AnIDF Brigade attackedSyrian posts located on the eastern shore of theSea of Galilee, in response to constant Syrian attacks on Israeli fishermen. 50 Syrian and six Israeli soldiers are killed and 30 Syrian soldiers are captured during the operation.
^Dayan, Moshe (1965)Diary of the Sinai Campaign 1956. Sphere Books edition (1967) page 32.
^Morris, Benny (1993)Israel's Border Wars, 1949 - 1956. Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and the Countdown to the Suez War. Oxford University Press,ISBN0-19-827850-0. Page 358.
^Morris. Page 359. Has 81 Egyptians and five Israelis killed.
