Gaza's head of garrison, Major Tiller, had 7 infantry battalions, a cavalry squadron, and some camel troops.
 The British under Colonel Chetwode already had 2,000 troops in front of the city.
Reluctantly, Djemal marched with the 33rd Division to relieve Gaza.
Kressenstein was delighted to have repelled the British assault and wanted to mobilise aggressively by driving into Shellal, Wadi Ghazze, and Khan Yunis, but Djemal absolutely forbade it.
 The British had a whole division in retreat, so Djemal apprehended that a two-battalion sortie would have been annihilated.
One of Djemal's associates in Iraq was engineer Colonel Heinrich August Meissner who had built both the Hejaz and Baghdad railways and who was employed on an ambitious project to construct a railway to the Suez canal at Bir Gifgafa.
 By October 1915, the Central Powers had already built 100 miles of track as far as the oasis of Beersheba.
 Djemal insisted that an extended railway would be needed to attack British Egypt.

Djemal was completely committed to the Turko-German military machine, and Britain would not relinquish its ambitions to control Syria.
Kemal and Djemal became increasingly sceptical of German capabilities, but Djemal was not yet prepared to openly back the German allies.
 He insisted on the possibility of a planned allied assault behind the Yıldırım Army, as the Seventh Army gathered at the Turco-German Aleppo Conference.
In the shake-up that followed, Djemal was demoted to a command of the Fourth Army under General Erich von Falkenhayn.
They now adopted a plan similar to the Kress Plan for Gaza and sent the Yıldırım Army to Baghdad.
 It was not until October 1917 that the Seventh Army could march south to face the growing threat from Allenby, hampered by the limitations of the single-gauge railway, which was built away from the coastline to avoid Royal Navy salvos.

On 7 November, the British captured Gaza, but Djemal had long since been forced to evacuate.
 Although chased, he managed to retreat at speed.
In December, the Turks were driven out of Jaffa, Djemal's army still in retreat, and the city fell without a fight.
 Falkenhayn had ordered an evacuation on 14th, and the enemy had begun to enter the same day.
But now the Turkish Eighth formed a much stronger line of entrenchment; Djemal's organized defence of Gaza had been amply anticipated by the British.
 His army delayed them further at the vital Junction railway station.
 But the British were probably unaware of its importance.

The fighting in the hills was all but over by 1 December.
 On 6 December, Djemal Pasha was in Beirut to make a speech publicizing the allied deal to 'carve up' Syria-Palestine into partitioned spheres of influence in the Sykes-Picot agreement.
At the end of 1917, Djemal ruled from his post in Damascus as a near-independent ruler of his portion of the Empire.
But he had resigned from the 4th Army and returned to Istanbul.
 On 9 April and then 19 April 1918, Djemal ordered the evacuation of civilians from Jaffa and Jerusalem.
 The Germans were furious and rescinded the order, revealing the chaos in the Ottoman Empire.
Djemal's ambiguous attitude to the subject populations played into the hands of British rule.
 The Turkish line was solidified in readiness for the final onslaught at Nebi Samwell and Nahr-el-Auja.
 To the south of Nebi were the defences of Beit Iksa; the Heart and Liver Redoubts before Lifa; and Deir Yassin, two systems behind Ain Karim.
In all, there were 4 miles of fortifications.
Gaza's head of garrison, Major Tiller, had 7 infantry battalions, a cavalry squadron, and some camel troops.  The British under Colonel Chetwode already had 2,000 troops in front of the city. Reluctantly, Djemal marched with the 33rd Division to relieve Gaza. Kressenstein was delighted to have repelled the British assault and wanted to mobilise aggressively by driving into Shellal, Wadi Ghazze, and Khan Yunis, but Djemal absolutely forbade it.  The British had a whole division in retreat, so Djemal apprehended that a two-battalion sortie would have been annihilated. One of Djemal's associates in Iraq was engineer Colonel Heinrich August Meissner who had built both the Hejaz and Baghdad railways and who was employed on an ambitious project to construct a railway to the Suez canal at Bir Gifgafa.  By October 1915, the Central Powers had already built 100 miles of track as far as the oasis of Beersheba.  Djemal insisted that an extended railway would be needed to attack British Egypt.
Djemal was completely committed to the Turko-German military machine, and Britain would not relinquish its ambitions to control Syria. Kemal and Djemal became increasingly sceptical of German capabilities, but Djemal was not yet prepared to openly back the German allies.  He insisted on the possibility of a planned allied assault behind the Yıldırım Army, as the Seventh Army gathered at the Turco-German Aleppo Conference. In the shake-up that followed, Djemal was demoted to a command of the Fourth Army under General Erich von Falkenhayn. They now adopted a plan similar to the Kress Plan for Gaza and sent the Yıldırım Army to Baghdad.  It was not until October 1917 that the Seventh Army could march south to face the growing threat from Allenby, hampered by the limitations of the single-gauge railway, which was built away from the coastline to avoid Royal Navy salvos.
On 7 November, the British captured Gaza, but Djemal had long since been forced to evacuate.  Although chased, he managed to retreat at speed. In December, the Turks were driven out of Jaffa, Djemal's army still in retreat, and the city fell without a fight.  Falkenhayn had ordered an evacuation on 14th, and the enemy had begun to enter the same day. But now the Turkish Eighth formed a much stronger line of entrenchment; Djemal's organized defence of Gaza had been amply anticipated by the British.  His army delayed them further at the vital Junction railway station.  But the British were probably unaware of its importance.
The fighting in the hills was all but over by 1 December.  On 6 December, Djemal Pasha was in Beirut to make a speech publicizing the allied deal to 'carve up' Syria-Palestine into partitioned spheres of influence in the Sykes-Picot agreement. At the end of 1917, Djemal ruled from his post in Damascus as a near-independent ruler of his portion of the Empire. But he had resigned from the 4th Army and returned to Istanbul.  On 9 April and then 19 April 1918, Djemal ordered the evacuation of civilians from Jaffa and Jerusalem.  The Germans were furious and rescinded the order, revealing the chaos in the Ottoman Empire. Djemal's ambiguous attitude to the subject populations played into the hands of British rule.  The Turkish line was solidified in readiness for the final onslaught at Nebi Samwell and Nahr-el-Auja.  To the south of Nebi were the defences of Beit Iksa; the Heart and Liver Redoubts before Lifa; and Deir Yassin, two systems behind Ain Karim. In all, there were 4 miles of fortifications.
Djemal Pasha