1973 war against Israel enhanced unity among Egyptians: Pope Tawadros II

CAIRO - 3 October 2019: Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria marked the 46th anniversary of the October 6th, 1973 war through which Egypt has restored the Sinai peninsula from the Israeli grip, saying that it represents an imperishable page of the history of the Egyptian country and people.

The victory of October was a chance for Egypt to restore its significant position among nations, Pope Tawadros II said on Wednesday (Oct. 2), adding that it also helped strengthen unity and collaboration among Egypt's army, police, and people.

The October war between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria started with a sudden attack on Israeli positions on Yom Kippur, on October 6, 1973.

After the defeat in the Six-Day War in 1967, in which Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, the Egyptian forces launched its war 6 years later - on October 6, 1973 at 2:00 p.m. (Cairo time) - against the Israeli troops and restored 15 kilometers of Sinai’s land.

The Israeli forces were forced to retreat to Gaza strip. Meanwhile, Syrian troops waged the war near Golan Heights against the Israeli troops.

The rest of the peninsula 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.