forces under abd al-qadir al-husayni attacked and besieged the haganah-held village on 7 april 1948. during the following, foggy night al-husayni himself was killed by a haganah sentinel in a bizarre incident. on april 8, armed arabs from the entire area, motivated by the disappearance of their leader, attacked and recaptured al-qastal. however, al-husayni's death is said to have led to a loss of morale among his forces.