Iconic war hero dies at 72

CAIRO - 1 July 2019: The soldier who raised the Egyptian flag in Sinai on October 6, 1973 for the first time since its occupation by Israel in 1967 died on Monday at 72.

The veteran placed the flag on Bar Lev Line - a chain of Israeli fortifications - that used to lie on the eastern shore of the Suez Canal before it was destroyed by the Egyptian Army that restored 15 kilometers of Sinai’s land in October 1973. The rest was recovered through a peace treaty signed in 1979; except for Taba that Egypt retrieved by international arbitration in 1988. The Israeli withdrawal from Sinai occurred in stages that ended in 1982.

Amid the war, Late Soldier Mohamed Mohamed Abdel Salam al-Abassy was conscribed and was among the forces that crossed the Canal. He was shooting down the Israeli soldiers, while the Egyptian Air Defense Forces was shelling the eastern Suez Canal shore. When Abassy reached Bar-Lev Line, he took down the Israeli flag and raised the Egyptian one upon the order of his commander. Afterwards, he saw Egypt’s fighter jets returning after eliminating Israeli airports.

Abasy passed away in his hometown, Al Qurayn, in Sharkeya governorate. Hundreds of Abbasy’s hometown residents took part in the funeral.


Recent photo of Late Soldier Mohamed Mohamed Abdel Salam al-Abassy