On May 19, 1798, a French expedition under the command of Napoleon set sail from Toulon in the direction of Egypt, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. The ships dropped anchor off Alexandria on July 1, 1798 and the French proceeded to capture the city of Alexandria, subsequently conquering the rest of Egypt. The defeated Turkish forces escaped in the direction of Eretz Israel and attempted to organize a resistance together with Ahmad al-Jazzar, Pasha of Acre. In early February 1799, Napoleon crossed the Sinai Desert and moved into Palestine. The campaign to conquer Palestine lasted from February 8 to July 1, 1799. On March 7, Jaffa surrendered after a four-day siege and the massacre of 4,200 Turkish prisoners. The French forces continued northward, reaching the walls of Acre on March 19, where Napoleon was forced to remain for 61 days. Acre succeeded in withstanding the siege and the continued French assaults, sustained by the support of British warships.