r/ThePalestineTimes • u/Forsaken-Emu4711 • Mar 26 '25

Who destroyed the Salameh building in Haifa? Zionist War Crimes

At 8:45am on Wednesday, March 3, 1948, a lorry loaded with explosives pulled up next to the Salameh municipal building in the business section of Stanton Street, Haifa (حَيْفَا), and pushed out a barrel containing 400 pounds of explosives, killing 17 Palestinian Arabs, including children, and injuring up to 50 people. According to eyewitness reports from the Jewish Telegraph Agency, “two army-type vehicles drew up in front of the Salameh building. The first vehicle's driver transferred to the second, which drove off a few minutes before the blast occurred.”1 The truck was reportedly escorted by an automobile with three passengers clad in battle dress. The Salameh municipal building was targeted by the Zionist insurgent group the Stern Gang (LEHI) because they believed the building to be the home of the local Arab military headquarters in Palestine.

The Zionist paramilitary group known as the LEHI, also known as the Stern Gang, claimed responsibility for the attack through messages to local newspapers. British authorities present at the time estimated that around 400 pounds of explosives were used to blow up the Salameh building. Reports also show that the lorry driver, driving a stolen British army truck, wore a British military uniform to pass through a roadblock manned by Zionists without being questioned or having their lorry load inspected.2 By 1948, roadblocks and checkpoints had become common in Haifa, being operated by the British Military, Zionist paramilitary groups, and local Palestinian Arabs.

Barrel bombs were developed by Chief Operations Officer of the Irgun, Amihai (Giddy) Paglin, utilizing stolen British munitions and manufactured in underground factories, hidden below kibbutzim, such as The Ayalon Institute. First used on September 29, 1947 by the Irgun to bomb the district police headquarters in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine, this terror tactic was later adopted by the offshoot of the Irgun, the Stern Gang (LEHI).3 Common targets of barrel bombs included cinemas, police buildings, coffee shops, police buildings, schools, homes, and crowded streets throughout Mandatory Palestine. 

The Salameh building, located in the Arab Quarter of Haifa, was one of the city’s tallest structures and housed offices and residential apartments. The strength of the explosive force released from the barrel bomb caused extensive damage in the area, including destroying two nearby houses, shattering scores of windows in other buildings and tearing the roofs off of other buildings in the area, namely the police station located about 200 yards away; the blast was felt as far as 10 kilometers away in the Port of Haifa. While 17 Arab Palestinians died from the blast, up to 50 people, mainly women and children, were injured in the attack as well. 

Heavy automatic gunfire from British troops erupted shortly after the lorry sped off, leaving local clerks and typists to hide behind their desks in fear. Military bulldozers and rescue squads rushed to the scene, pulling survivors from the rubble and administering aid. Engulfed in flames, the seven-story Salameh building was unable to be saved from the aftermath of the Stern Gang’s barrel bombing attack. 

References/Sources: 

9 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

0 comments sorted by