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"When we were defeated in Gaza, we lost Palestine"

Between March 26 and November 7, 1917, the Ottoman army engaged in three battles with the British forces near Gaza. Despite winning the First and Second Battles of Gaza, we lost the Third Battle of Gaza. The fall of Gaza resulted in the occupation of part of Jerusalem and Palestine.

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In August 1917, the Ottoman administration reinforced the Ottoman armies in the region by incorporating German battalions and formed the Yıldırım Army Group. Erich von Falkenhayn, who had fought on the Western front, was appointed as its head. Many of our important commanders such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Fevzi Çakmak, İsmet İnönü, Refet Bele, Ali Fuat Cebesoy, and Fahrettin Altay were in the Palestine Front. Many units that had fought in Gallipoli were also on this front. There was no clear plan on the Turkish side, and even though months had passed since the end of the Second Battle of Gaza on April 20, 1917, discussions among the commanders continued, and no decision was made on the appropriate course of action. The superiority of the combat power had gradually shifted in favor of the British. By reinforcing their troops, the British had achieved a fourfold superiority on the Palestine front.