הפילבוקס, Pillbox memorial in Tel Giborim, Holon, Israel
The Pillbox in Holon is a cylindrical concrete structure standing on Tel Giborim hill in the Tel Giborim neighbourhood of north-western Holon, at the foot of Tel a-Rish, which rises 44 metres above its surroundings. Its thick walls have rifle firing positions. The sources do not establish when or by whom this particular pillbox was built.
The structure was used as a fortified position by Arab forces during the 1948 war and served as a vantage point for attacks on nearby Jewish settlements. Following the conflict, it became a memorial to those lost in the fighting.
The hilltop is now the Youth Park of Tel Giborim, where the concrete pillbox stands as a memorial to the roughly 21 Jewish soldiers killed and about 100 wounded in the failed Givati assault of 28 April 1948. A sign beside the structure recounts Operation Hametz and the battle for the hill, and a map shows the area.
The site sits within a park maintained by local authorities and features informational panels describing Operation Hametz and the battle. Visitors can walk freely around the area, which remains open and accessible for exploration.
The Hebrew name is pronounced pilbox, with a soft p, though the word comes from the English pillbox, after the cylindrical shape that resembles a medicine container. The structure stands on Tel Giborim, a hill 44 metres above its surroundings, which is why it overlooked the Jaffa–Ramla road, today Route 44.
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