where a village was attacked by the Kiryati Brigade during Operation Barak. During the attack, a Haganah soldier was reported to have attempted to rape a 20 yr old female prisoner twice. Israeli historian, Aryeh Yitzhaki, explains the events as a massacre citing a testimony from the Kheil Mishmar (Guard Units): "A soldier of Kiryati Brigade captured 10 men and 2 women. All were killed except a young woman who was raped and disposed of. At the dawn of 14 May, units of Giv'ati brigade assaulted Abu Shusha village. Fleeing villagers were shot on sight. Others were killed in the streets or axed to death. Some were lined up against a wall and executed. No men were left; women had to bury the dead." A book by Israeli Political Scientist Meron Benvenisti mentioned that in 1995, a mass grave with 52 skeletons was discovered in Abu Shusha, but their cause of death is undetermined. More recently, research conducted by Birzeit University, mostly on the basis of interviews with former residents, suggests that between 60-70 residents were killed during the attack.