Ammunition Hill

This resource was created in partnership with Jewish National Fund-USA.

In June 1967, about 100 Israeli paratroopers attacked Ammunition Hill, a heavily fortified Jordanian post blocking the northern approach to Jerusalem. After a chaotic night of close-range fighting through minefields, barbed wire, and narrow trenches, they captured the hill at the cost of 36 Israeli and 71 Jordanian lives. The victory opened the way to reunifying Jerusalem, and decades later, veterans from both sides returned to the preserved site to honor the fallen together.

Essential Questions

1. How did geography and fortifications shape the outcome of the battle?
2.  Why might people in Israel feel that they must act decisively—even at great risk—to protect their country and future?
3. Why was control of Jerusalem so important to both Israel and Jordan in 1967?
4. What responsibilities come with defending and securing a homeland, especially when the stakes feel existential?

Big Ideas

1. Soldiers must rely on adaptability and resilience to survive and succeed in rapidly changing combat conditions.
2. Jerusalem represents more than a strategic objective—it is central to Israeli identity and history.
3. Individual battles can have far-reaching consequences that shape the outcome of larger conflicts.