al-bassa was captured by yishuv's haganah forces during the 1948 arab–israeli war, in operation ben-ami, on may 14, 1948. al-bassa's defenders were local militia men. following its capture, the haganah's palmach forces concentrated the villagers in the local church where they shot and killed a number of youths before chasing the villagers out. one witness to the expulsion said that it was preceded by soldiers shooting and killing five villagers inside the church, while another said seven villagers were shot and killed by soldiers outside the church.