After the first British defeat at Gaza in March 1917, the commander of Eastern Force, Lieutenant-General Charles Dobell, had sacked the commander of the 53rd (Welsh) Division, Major-General A.G. Dallas, while the division was transferred from the Desert Column to Eastern Force.
However, after a second defeat on 21 April, General Archibald Murray had in turn sacked Dobell, promoting the commander of the Desert Column, Lieutenant-General Philip Chetwode, in his place.
Chetwode was replaced by Harry Chauvel, promoted from command of the Anzac Mounted Division, while Edward Chaytor, commanding the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, was promoted to replace Chauvel.
Yet General Murray would also be relieved of command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) in June and was sent back to England.

With its back to the Negev Desert following their defeat at the Second Battle of Gaza, the EEF had been fortunate that the Ottoman forces did not launch a large-scale counter-attack, as such an attack would likely succeeded in pushing the EEF back a considerable distance.
Regardless, the EEF faced the urgent problems of securing the positions it held at the end of the battle, and reorganising and reinforcing its severely depleted infantry divisions.

The British suffered nearly 4,000 casualties during the first battle for Gaza, and more than 6,000 casualties during the second.
These casualties had to be managed, with the dead buried and their personal effects stored or sent home, and the wounded cared for.
Meanwhile, the EEF's railway, which had reached Deir el Belah before the second battle of Gaza, was extended by a branch line to Shellal.

As the EEF withdrew following the Second Battle of Gaza the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade took up a position at Tel el Fara on the Wadi Ghazza, five miles (8.0 km) south of Gaza, where they dug trenches in case of a counter-attack.

Both sides constructed extensive entrenchments, which were particularly strong where they almost converged, to defend the Gaza to Beersheba line.
These trenches resembled those on the Western Front, except they were not so extensive and had an open flank.

Between 400–2,500 yards (370–2,290 m) apart, the defensive lines stretched 30 miles (48 km) from Sheikh Ailin on the Mediterranean Sea to Sheikh Abbas and on to Tel el Jemmi and Beersheba.
However, from a point just beyond Sheikh Abbas, the continuous trench lines became a series of fortified strong points, as the Ottoman line extended south-east along the Gaza to Beersheba road, while the EEF line following the Wadi Ghazza turned more sharply south to be as much as nine miles (14 km) south of the Ottoman line.
After the first British defeat at Gaza in March 1917, the commander of Eastern Force, Lieutenant-General Charles Dobell, had sacked the commander of the 53rd (Welsh) Division, Major-General A.G. Dallas, while the division was transferred from the Desert Column to Eastern Force. However, after a second defeat on 21 April, General Archibald Murray had in turn sacked Dobell, promoting the commander of the Desert Column, Lieutenant-General Philip Chetwode, in his place. Chetwode was replaced by Harry Chauvel, promoted from command of the Anzac Mounted Division, while Edward Chaytor, commanding the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, was promoted to replace Chauvel. Yet General Murray would also be relieved of command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) in June and was sent back to England.
With its back to the Negev Desert following their defeat at the Second Battle of Gaza, the EEF had been fortunate that the Ottoman forces did not launch a large-scale counter-attack, as such an attack would likely succeeded in pushing the EEF back a considerable distance. Regardless, the EEF faced the urgent problems of securing the positions it held at the end of the battle, and reorganising and reinforcing its severely depleted infantry divisions.
The British suffered nearly 4,000 casualties during the first battle for Gaza, and more than 6,000 casualties during the second. These casualties had to be managed, with the dead buried and their personal effects stored or sent home, and the wounded cared for. Meanwhile, the EEF's railway, which had reached Deir el Belah before the second battle of Gaza, was extended by a branch line to Shellal.
As the EEF withdrew following the Second Battle of Gaza the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade took up a position at Tel el Fara on the Wadi Ghazza, five miles (8.0 km) south of Gaza, where they dug trenches in case of a counter-attack.
Both sides constructed extensive entrenchments, which were particularly strong where they almost converged, to defend the Gaza to Beersheba line. These trenches resembled those on the Western Front, except they were not so extensive and had an open flank.
Between 400–2,500 yards (370–2,290 m) apart, the defensive lines stretched 30 miles (48 km) from Sheikh Ailin on the Mediterranean Sea to Sheikh Abbas and on to Tel el Jemmi and Beersheba. However, from a point just beyond Sheikh Abbas, the continuous trench lines became a series of fortified strong points, as the Ottoman line extended south-east along the Gaza to Beersheba road, while the EEF line following the Wadi Ghazza turned more sharply south to be as much as nine miles (14 km) south of the Ottoman line.
Stalemate in Southern Palestine