1948 and aftermath

In February 1948 it was reported that ten Arabs, one of them a woman, were murdered ("probably") by IZL gunmen, in a grove, where they apparently worked, near the village.^[9] This was one of the massacres of Palestinian civilians which was said to "erode Arab morale".^[10]

The villagers probably left their homes in the second week of May 1948 during Operation Barak. This campaign was undertaken by the Givati Brigade commanded by Shimon Avidan; its objective was to clear the villages south of Tel Aviv and "cause a wandering of the inhabitants of the smaller settlements in the area." Each ground assault started with a mortar bombardment, followed by the expulsion of the remaining residents and the demolition of houses.^[11]

The village was probably permanently occupied during the first stage of Operation Danny, 9–12 July 1948. This offensive, commanded by Yitzhak Rabin, resulted in the expulsion of some 70,000 people from the neighbouring towns of Lod and al-Ramla.^[12][13]

The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, described the area of Abu al-Fadl in 1992:

"Of the original village houses, no more than five still stand, deserted and nearly collapsing. One of these houses, located at the edge of a citrus grove, is made of cement blocks, with rectangular doors and windows and a tiled, sloping roof. Another house, composed of three units, is located in the middle of a citrus grove. A few cypress trees, castor oil (ricinus) plants, and cactuses grow on the site, and Israeli buildings have been constructed nearby. The surrounding lands are cultivated by Israelis."^[5]

The Israeli moshav of Sitria was established on village farmlands in 1949, Talmei Menashe was established on the site of the village proper in 1953,^[14] and some of Be'er Ya'akov and the eastern reaches of Rishon LeZion are partially on the village's land.