On June 6, 1948, Palmach armed forces stormed the gates for three hours to break into the Jewish Quarter. In the end they succeeded, but they were unable to hold out in the Old City and were driven out by the Jordanians of the Arab Legion. The gate was restored twice - in 1968 and 2007.
The gate is also called the “Gate of the Prophet David” (Bab an-Nabi Daoud) because it leads to Mount Zion, where the tomb of King David is situated.