the return of the Yom Kippur War

This is the second time that Israel has been taken by surprise by an attack. The first time was in 1973. The Yom Kippur War, whose 50th anniversary the country celebrated this week, is back in the news.
The surprise was complete. An attack to the south by the Egyptian army which was advancing in the Sinai. On the Golan Heights, Syria was on the offensive. For two days, the two Arab nations challenged the Israeli forces with significant losses and rapid progress.

After two days, the Israelis managed to block the Syrian and then Egyptian progression. Then they prepare an offensive with their armor and air cover. They pushed the Egyptian army back to the point of crossing the Suez Canal in two weeks. A ceasefire then occurs.
For the Israelis it was a victory, but it came at a high cost: 3,000 deaths. On the opposing side there were more than 20,000 deaths. But Sadat’s Egyptians transformed the event into a victory by speaking only of the first days of the conflict. A model of propaganda.

Israeli intelligence services singled out

This conflict resonates strongly in people’s minds today because of the element of surprise and the choice of the Prime Minister at the time, Golda Meir, not to mobilize or carry out a preventive strike. It also remained a source of remorse for her. In fact, Mossad had made a mistake a few months earlier. He had announced an attack which did not come in April 1973. So much so that in October, his alerts were viewed with skepticism. However, a mobilization of the army by Golda Meir would have limited the impact of the Arab offensive.

Today, criticism of the intelligence services is virulent, as it was then. Perhaps we will see that other motives played a role in Hamas’s surprise effect.

The current conflict like the Yom Kippur War will create lasting trauma. Both because the toll is heavy with deaths and injuries exceeding a thousand. But also with the difficult question of hostages. In 1973, Israeli society was concerned about the prisoners of war and wondered whether an exchange would be possible. The military and civilian hostages taken by Hamas arouse the same anxiety.