The Second Battle of Gaza, fought in southern Palestine during the First World War, was another attempt mounted by British Empire forces to break Ottoman defences along the Gaza-Beersheba line. Fought on 26 March 1917, the First Battle of Gaza had been a fiasco for the Allies after the commander, General Charles Dobell, made the decision to withdraw when his troops who were, it was later thought, to be in a position to seize victory. Encouraged by being handed an easy victory in the first battle for Gaza, the Ottoman Empire, reinforced their already strong fortifications about Gaza and on strong points towards Beersheba. By the time British forces were prepared to renew their assault, the Gaza fortifications were very strong. The battle became a very costly defeat for the Allies whose commander was dismissed. The commander of the Eastern Expeditionary Force General Archibald Murray had conducted the campaign in Egypt and Palestine since January 1916.
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“What a battle a man must fight everywhere to maintain his standing army of thoughts, and march with them in orderly array through the always hostile country! How many enemies there are to sane thinking! Every soldier has succumbed to them before he enlists for those other battles.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)