Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

Operation Ben Ami מבצע בן עמי, first called Operation Ehud, was one of the last Haganah operation before the end of the British Mandate.
The operation was named after named Ben Ami Fechter, battalion commander in Battalion 21 of the Carmeli Brigade, who fell in the Yehiam convoy.
On May 9, 1948, Israeli intelligence found out that the Lebanese army would invade Rosh haNikra, and attack Hanita, with the Syrians.
The operation was carried out by the Carmeli Brigade טיבת ה חי"ש כרמלי, under Moshe Carmel.

The first phase of Operation Ben Ami was the capture of Akko.
On May 13, 1948, the operation was launched with the capture of villages east of Akko, cutting the town off from the interior.
Benny Morris cites Akko's military Commander, Yunis Naf'a, perhaps accompanied by Amin 'Izz a Din, fleeing by boat, with his troops, to Lebanon, on May 14.
Zionism Israel Chronology of the First Arab-Israel War of 1948 cites Operation Ben Ami began on April 22; the Carmeli Brigade seized Arab strongholds north of Haifa and northeast of Akko עכו and established communications with kibbutz Yehiam קיבוץ יחיעם and kibbutz Hanita קיבוץ חניתה. During the operation; Shavei Tzion שבי ציון, on the northern coast, was reached by sea, and Napoleon Hill was captured by Haganah הגנה.

On the night of May 16-17, 1948, the Carmeli Brigade launched a mortar barrage was on Akko, and the following night, Benny Morris cites a group of notables and religious leaders emerged from the Old City and asked to surrender the town unconditionally.
surrendered.
When the Israeli troops marched into Akko, Benny Morris cites many of the remaining 5,000 population were non-local - refugees from Haifa, Syrian labourers, Egyptian, Sudanese.
Military administration was set up under Major Rehavam Amir, curtailing abuse and looting.

On May 20, 1948, the second phase of Operation Ben-Ami was launched.