Isaac ✡︎

Syrian soldiers surrender to Israeli forces, Golan Heights, Yom Kippur War, 1973. On October 6, 1973, Syria and Egypt launched a surprise attack on Israeli-held lands to coincide with the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. After initial losses, the Israelis regained nearly all the territory they occupied during the six-day war. Iraq, Jordan and Morocco also sent soldiers to the war effort. Iraq was the most committed of the three, deploying an armored division (~18,000 troops, 250+ tanks) to the central Golan Heights and a Hawker Hunter squadron to Egypt. Iraqi MiGs flew over the Golan from October 8, and Iraqi forces actively joined the October 16 assault on Israeli positions. They suffered 278 killed and 898 wounded. Jordan was the least enthusiastic participant. King Hussein had been kept uninformed of the Egyptian-Syrian war plans and was pressured by the U.S. to stay out. He ultimately sent two armored brigades (the 40th and 60th) to the Golan to buttress Syrian defenses, and they joined attacks on October 16 and 19. According to declassified U.S. documents, the participation was largely token, with a tacit understanding that Jordanian units would avoid direct combat. Losses were minimal: 23 killed, 77 wounded. Morocco sent one infantry brigade to Egypt and one armored regiment (30 T-55 tanks) to Syria, where they were positioned in the Golan sector. Six Moroccan soldiers were killed in action and six taken prisoner. The Yom Kippur War resulted in approximately 53,500 total casualties across all participating nations. Israel suffered 2,521–2,800 killed and 7,250–9,000 wounded, with roughly 293–294 soldiers captured as prisoners of war. Arab casualties were significantly higher, with estimates ranging from 8,000 to 18,500 killed and 18,000–35,000 wounded. Those who historically persecuted Jews often chose holy Jewish days to attack Jews. Egyptian and Syrian leadership chose the holiest day of the Jewish calendar to attack so that there could be a profanation of the most sacred days of the Jewish calendar, causing profound trauma and disrupting the cultural and spiritual identity of the Jewish people. The war eventually led to negotiations between Israel and Egypt, with the 1979 Peace Treaty signed between the nations following the 1978 Camp David Accords and Israel returning the Sinai to Egypt.