The British invasion of Ottoman-held Palestine in 1917-18 was the third - and last - campaign launched by the Allies against the Ottoman Turks in the Middle East during the First World War.
The Sinai campaign is less well known than other First World War campaigns like Gallipoli and those on the Western Front. But it was here, in the harsh, arid desert, that the Allies took the first major step towards their ultimate victory over the Ottoman Turks in the Middle East.
The Imperial Camel Corps, which included two New Zealand companies,
played a vital role in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns during the First World War. Between 400
and 450 New Zealanders fought in the Corps, and 41 died
before the two New Zealand companies were disbanded in mid-1918.
The commander of Eastern Force mistakenly thought that the Egyptian Expeditionary Force could capture Gaza in March 1917 by using essentially the same tactics as those employed at Rafa and Magdhaba during the Sinai campaign.
In March 1916 the commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), General Sir Archibald Murray, ordered his forces to occupy the area around the Katia oasis, 40 km east of the Suez Canal.
The Second Battle of Gaza three weeks after the First Battle, was an even bigger disaster – a frontal attack by British infantry divisions resulted in their suffering some 6000 casualties.
Although the action at Katia boosted Turkish morale, it soon became clear that it had not deterred the British from continuing their offensive into the Sinai.
By mid-December 1916 the Egyptian Expeditionary Force had advanced across the Sinai to within sight of the original objective of the campaign, the town of El Arish.
