Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi

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Ahmed Abdullah Al-Mwawi (alternatively Mawawi) (1897-1979?) was Major-General of the Egyptian Army. He served as the General Commander of the Egyptian expeditionary force during 1948 Arab-Israeli War.^[1]

Mwawi graduated from the Military Academy in 1916.

He was appointed at the rank of Major as head of the training department of Military Operations. Promoted to the rank of Brigadier in 1945, he became the commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade. In 1947 he was appointed Commander of the Infantry Division. With the intensification of clashes in Palestine he moved his headquarters to el-Arish where he was stationed along with an infantry force.

On May 14, Mwawi was promoted by Royal decree to the rank of Major General and appointed commander of the southern sector of the Palestine theatre of the Egyptian army operations. He commanded an expeditionary force of about 10,000 men consisting of five infantry battalions, an armored battalion with British Mark VI and Matilda tanks, a battalion of sixteen 25-pounder guns, a battalion of eight 6-pounder guns and a medium machine-gun battalion with supporting troops.^[1]

The British Mandate of Palestine was due to expire on May 15, 1948, but Jewish Leadership proclaimed the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May.

On May 15, Egyptian airplanes bombed Tel-Aviv.