In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “school massacre in ma'alot”. Today it says “palestinian terrorist attack that occurred on 14–15 may 1974 and involved the hostage-taking of 115 israelis”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “school massacre in ma'alot”. Today it says “palestinian terrorist attack that occurred on 14–15 may 1974 and involved the hostage-taking of 115 israelis”.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Ma'alot massacre was a school massacre in Ma'alot , Israel , that occurred on May 15 , 1974 . On this date, the 26th anniversary of Israeli independence , three Arabs subsequently identified as members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a faction affiliated with the PLO , broke into the high school in Ma'alot, a community in northern Israel , where a group of 100 14-16 year olds were sleeping on the floor after a day spent hiking. The Arabs had infiltrated into Israel from Lebanon dressed as Israeli soldiers. They first attacked a van bringing Arab women home from work, killing two women and wounding one. They then infiltrated the town of Ma'alot and took over a local school, immediately killing a security guard, a student, and one other person. Some students managed to escape by jumping out of a window, but 90 or so students and some teachers were held as hostages. The hostage-takers presented their demands the next morning: release 23 Arab militants from Israeli prisons, or they would kill the students. The deadline was set at 6:00 p.m. the same day. The Knesset , the Israeli parliament, met in an emergency session, and by 3:00 p.m. a decision was reached to negotiate, but the DFLP members refused a request for more time. At 5:45 p.m., a unit of the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces group stormed the building. The hostage-takers were killed in the assault, along with 21 students and one Israeli soldier. Reports vary as to the exact circumstances of the killings. Some reports say that the hostage-takers detonated their grenades and shot the children. An army inquiry later found tactical mistakes in the storming unit's assault. All told, 26 victims were killed and 71 were wounded. The names of the 21 students who were killed during the assault: Ilana Turgeman, Rachel Aputa, Yocheved Mazoz, Sarah Ben-Shim'on, Yona Sabag, Yafa Cohen. The traumatic effect of the event on the Israeli public was a major contributor to the establishment of the Israeli Civil Guard ( MASHAZ ) volunteer police unit, on July 10 , 1974 .1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16285912.
The opening as it stood in 2010 17 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Ma'alot massacre was an attack on May 15, 1974 in Ma'alot , Israel , in which 22 Israeli high school students, aged 14–16, from Safed were killed by three members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine .Before reaching the school, the trio shot and killed two Arab women, a Jewish man, his pregnant wife, and their 4 year old son, and wounded several others.Ma'alot massacre victims on Zefat Cemetery Sources describing the event as a "massacre": "The day after the Ma'alot massacre, condemned by Pope Paul VI and most Western leaders as "an evil outrage," ..." Frank Gervasi."The previous day Israel had been traumatized by the Ma'alot massacre, which had resulted in the deaths of numerous schoolchildren." William B."Faced with a public outcry over the Ma'alot massacre, they demanded of Syria a pledge to forbid terrorist to cross the Golan into Israel." Milton Viorst."...Organization (PLO) crimes, like the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 and the Ma'alot massacre of children in 1974." Richard J."The PFLP was responsible for the Ma'alot massacre on May IS, 1974 during which 22 Israeli children were killed." Alex Peter Schmid, A."On 22 November 1974, six months after the Ma'alot massacre, the United Nations General Assembly voted to accept the Palestine Liberation Organisation as an..." Martin Gilbert ."U.S. filmmakers plan documentary on Ma'alot massacre" , Haaretz , March 07, 2007."U.S. filmmakers plan documentary on Ma'alot massacre" , Haaretz , March 07, 2007."Bullets, Bombs and a Sign of Hope" , TIME , May 27, 1974.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370076217.
The opening as it stood in 2015 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Ma'alot massacre occurred in May 1974 and involved a two-day hostage-taking of 115 people which ended in the deaths of over 25 hostages.It began when three armed members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) entered Israel from Lebanon .Soon afterwards they attacked a van, killing two Israeli Arab women while injuring a third and entered an apartment building in the town of Ma'alot , where they killed a couple and their four-year-old son.From there, they headed for the Netiv Meir Elementary School, where they took more than 115 people (including 105 children) hostage on 15 May 1974, in Ma'alot.Most of the hostages were teenagers from a high school in Safad on a Gadna field trip spending the night in Ma'alot.The hostage-takers soon issued demands for the release of 23 Palestinian militants from Israeli prisons, or else they would kill the students.On the second day of the standoff , a unit of the Golani Brigade stormed the building.During the takeover, the hostage-takers killed children with grenades and automatic weapons.Ultimately, 25 hostages, including 22 children, were killed and 68 more were injured. Sources describing the event as a " massacre ": "The day after the Ma'alot massacre, condemned by Pope Paul VI and most Western leaders as "an evil outrage…" Frank Gervasi. "The previous day Israel had been traumatized by the Ma'alot massacre, which had resulted in the deaths of numerous schoolchildren." William B. "Faced with a public outcry over the Ma'alot massacre, they demanded of Syria a pledge to forbid terrorist to cross the Golan into Israel." Milton Viorst. "...Organization (PLO) crimes, like the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 and the Ma'alot massacre of children in 1974." Richard J. "The PFLP was responsible for the Ma'alot massacre on May IS, 1974 during which 22 Israeli children were killed." Alex Peter Schmid, A. "On 22 November 1974, six months after the Ma'alot massacre, the United Nations General Assembly voted to accept the Palestine Liberation Organisation as an..." Martin Gilbert . "U.S. filmmakers plan documentary on Ma'alot massacre" , Haaretz , 7 March 2007."U.S. filmmakers plan documentary on Ma'alot massacre" , Haaretz , 7 March 2007."Bullets, Bombs and a Sign of Hope" , TIME , 27 May 1974.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667657622.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Ma'alot massacre was a Palestinian terrorist attack that occurred in May 1974 and involved a two-day hostage-taking of 115 Israeli people which ended in the murders of over 25 hostages. It began when three armed members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) entered Israel from Lebanon . Soon afterwards they attacked a van, killing two Israeli Arab women while injuring a third and entered an apartment building in the town of Ma'alot , where they killed a couple and their four-year-old son. From there, they headed for the Netiv Meir Elementary School, where they took more than 115 people (including 105 children) hostage on 15 May 1974, in Ma'alot. Most of the hostages were teenagers from a high school in Safad on a Gadna field trip spending the night in Ma'alot. The hostage-takers soon issued demands for the release of 23 Palestinian militants from Israeli prisons, or else they would kill the students. On the second day of the standoff , the Sayeret Matkal stormed the building. During the takeover, the hostage-takers killed children with grenades and automatic weapons. Ultimately, 25 hostages, including 22 children, were killed and 68 more were injured. Sources describing the event as a " massacre ": "The day after the Ma'alot massacre, condemned by Pope Paul VI and most Western leaders as 'an evil outrage…'" Frank Gervasi. "The previous day Israel had been traumatized by the Ma'alot massacre, which had resulted in the deaths of numerous schoolchildren." William B. "Faced with a public outcry over the Ma'alot massacre, they demanded of Syria a pledge to forbid terrorist to cross the Golan into Israel." Milton Viorst. "...Organization (PLO) crimes, like the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 and the Ma'alot massacre of children in 1974." Richard J. "The PFLP was responsible for the Ma'alot massacre on May IS, 1974 during which 22 Israeli children were killed." Alex Peter Schmid, A. "On 22 November 1974, six months after the Ma'alot massacre, the United Nations General Assembly voted to accept the Palestine Liberation Organisation as an..." Martin Gilbert . "U.S. filmmakers plan documentary on Ma'alot massacre" , Haaretz , 7 March 2007. "U.S. filmmakers plan documentary on Ma'alot massacre" , Haaretz , 7 March 2007. "Bullets, Bombs and a Sign of Hope" , TIME , 27 May 1974.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 965286264.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
1974 terrorist attack by Palestinian militants in Israel The Ma'alot massacre was a Palestinian terrorist attack that occurred in May 1974 and involved a two-day hostage-taking of 115 Israelis, which ended in the murders of 25 hostages and six other civilians. It began when three armed members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) entered Israel from Lebanon . Soon afterwards they attacked a van, killing two Israeli Arab women while injuring a third, and entered an apartment building in the town of Ma'alot , where they killed a couple and their four-year-old son. From there, they headed for the Netiv Meir Elementary School, where they took more than 115 people (including 105 children) hostage on 15 May 1974, in Ma'alot. Most of the hostages were teenagers from a high school in Safad on a pre-military Gadna field trip spending the night in Ma'alot. The hostage-takers soon issued demands for the release of 23 Palestinian militants from Israeli prisons, or else they would kill the students. On the second day of the standoff , the Sayeret Matkal stormed the building. During the takeover, the hostage-takers killed children with grenades and automatic weapons. Ultimately, 25 hostages, including 22 children, were killed and 68 more were injured. Sources describing the event as a " massacre ": Gervasi, Frank (1975).Thunder Over the Mediterranean . The day after the Ma'alot massacre, condemned by Pope Paul VI and most Western leaders as 'an evil outrage…' Viorst, Milton (1987). Sands of Sorrow: Israel's Journey from Independence . Faced with a public outcry over the Ma'alot massacre, they demanded of Syria a pledge to forbid terrorist to cross the Golan into Israel. The Jews in the Twentieth Century: An Illustrated History . On 22 November 1974, six months after the Ma'alot massacre, the United Nations General Assembly voted to accept the Palestine Liberation Organisation as an... The previous day Israel had been traumatized by the Ma'alot massacre, which had resulted in the deaths of numerous schoolchildren. Schmid, Alex Peter ; Jongman, A. The PFLP was responsible for the Ma'alot massacre on May 15, 1974 during which 22 Israeli children were killed.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178538198.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
1974 Palestinian terrorist attack in Israel The Ma'alot massacre was a Palestinian terrorist attack that occurred on 14–15 May 1974 and involved the hostage-taking of 115 Israelis, chiefly school children, which ended in the murder of 25 hostages and six other civilians. It began when three armed members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) infiltrated Israel from Lebanon . Soon afterwards they attacked a van, killing two Israeli Arab women while injuring a third, and entered an apartment building in the town of Ma'alot , where they killed a couple and their four-year-old son. From there, they headed for the Netiv Meir Elementary School in Ma'alot, where in the early hours of 15 May 1974 they took hostage more than 115 people including 105 children.Most of the hostages were 14- to 16-years-old students from a high school in Safad on a pre-military Gadna field trip spending the night in Ma'alot.The hostage-takers soon issued demands for the release of 23 Palestinian militants and 3 others from Israeli prisons, or else they would kill the students.The Israeli side agreed, but the hostage-takers failed to get an expected coded message from Damascus .On 15 May, minutes before the 18:00 deadline set by the DFLP for killing the hostages, the Sayeret Matkal commandoes stormed the building. During the takeover, the hostage-takers killed children with grenades and automatic weapons. Ultimately, 25 hostages, including 22 children, were killed and 68 more were injured. Sources describing the event as a " massacre ": Gervasi, Frank (1975). Thunder Over the Mediterranean . The day after the Ma'alot massacre, condemned by Pope Paul VI and most Western leaders as 'an evil outrage…' Viorst, Milton (1987). Sands of Sorrow: Israel's Journey from Independence . Faced with a public outcry over the Ma'alot massacre, they demanded of Syria a pledge to forbid terrorist to cross the Golan into Israel. The Jews in the Twentieth Century: An Illustrated History . On 22 November 1974, six months after the Ma'alot massacre, the United Nations General Assembly voted to accept the Palestine Liberation Organisation as an... The previous day Israel had been traumatized by the Ma'alot massacre, which had resulted in the deaths of numerous schoolchildren. Schmid, Alex Peter ; Jongman, A. The PFLP was responsible for the Ma'alot massacre on May 15, 1974 during which 22 Israeli children were killed. On this day: 16 May 1974.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1272679462. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “school massacre in ma'alot”. Today it says “palestinian terrorist attack that occurred on 14–15 may 1974 and involved the hostage-taking of 115 israelis”. Read the current article and compare.
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terror
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militant
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massacre
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Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2005 and 2025.
Then
school massacre in ma'alot
Now
palestinian terrorist attack that occurred on 14–15 may 1974 and involved the hostage-taking of 115 israelis
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
