during the 1948 arab-israeli war, the villagers of kawfakha repeatedly asked to surrender, accept jewish rule and be allowed to stay, all to no avail. kawfakha, together with al-muharraqa, was raided by the palmach's negev brigade on may 27–28, and the inhabitants of both villages were expelled or driven out. on may 30, a "new york times" correspondent reported that the two villages had been captured.