on 20 june 1948 israeli troops entered mi'ar and shot indiscriminately against its residents while they were working in their fields. according to israeli scholar, ilan pappé, the village's houses were destroyed and forty inhabitants were killed. one witness to the israeli attack was the palestinian writer, muhammad ali taha, then a 17-year-old boy. mi'ar's residents later returned and continued living in the village until israeli troops from the sheva brigade reoccupied it on 15 july 1948, as part of the second stage of operation dekel. according to israeli historian benny morris, mi'ar's 893 inhabitants fled during the israeli assault, while pappé asserts that they were expelled.