Bidspirit auction | War of Independence – Mail

War of Independence – Mail from Israeli Prisoner of War Held in Egypt to Tel Aviv (via the Red Cross) - Envelope sent by an Israeli prisoner of war from a POW camp in Egypt during the 1948 War of Independence, transmitted through the International Red Cross postal system. The envelope was sent by Jack Hasten, Prisoner No. 106, and addressed to Ephraim Hasten, 46 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv. The reverse bears the sender’s handwritten return address: “From: Jack Hasten No 106, P.O.W. Camp Egypt.” The cover shows several characteristic markings associated with POW mail from Egyptian camps: Egyptian censor marking in red rectangular frame with Arabic inscription and censor number. International Committee of the Red Cross – Geneva circular marking. Manuscript “No.” indicating postage-free prisoner-of-war mail. Manuscript “Palestine”. Handwritten date 2.XII, likely the date of receipt by the addressee. The sender, Jack Hasten, was among Israeli soldiers captured by Egyptian forces during the 1948 fighting in southern Palestine. By the end of December 1948 Egypt held approximately 165 Israeli prisoners captured in the battles of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, Kibbutz Nitzanim, and Kfar Darom. POW correspondence was routed from Egyptian camps through the Red Cross in Geneva and then delivered to the families in Israel. Most prisoners were repatriated to Israel following the Israel–Egypt prisoner exchange completed in March 1949. Principal markings: • Egyptian censor • Red Cross Geneva marking Catalog reference: I.P. pp. 4895–4899 Condition: Very good. Minor folds and edge wear consistent with wartime postal use. Items from the collections of Jacob Yablok - VirtualJewishmuseum.com. The items are placed in a quality proactive nylon sleeve and can be easily and safely taken out from the display page. Displayed on a thin cardboard sheet.