Suez Crisis
The 9-day Suez Crisis war occurred on October 29, 1956, when Israel, France, and Great Britain launched an attack on Egypt. Tensions are high between Israel and Egypt as Egypt allows Palestinian gunmen to launch attacks from Egyptian soil/territory. In addition, the loss of Egypt to Israel in the June war made relations between them toxic and unfriendly. While for the British, Egypt was a colony they still wanted to control because some of their troops were still in Egypt, namely the Suez Canal. For the French, Egyptian President Nasser's support for the Algerians in their quest for independence was not ideal for them. This war is mainly known as the Suez war because the Suez Canal was the main driving force that led to the war occurring. It is very important because it is the gateway to transport goods and resources to the Middle East and Africa. Suez Crisis became one of the shortest wars in history that had a devastating human cost.
Thus Suez Crisis happened, on October 29, Israel, Britain, and France launched an attack against the Egyptians. First, Israeli troops invaded Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, then British and French troops bombed Egyptian air bases, leading to the withdrawal of Egyptian troops from the Sinai to protect the canal. On November 5, 1956, France and Great Britain took over the Suez Canal area. The United States was caught off guard by this war and did not want to escalate further when the Soviet Union threatened to aid Egypt. A ceasefire was agreed and the Israeli, French, and British troops had to withdraw. The Suez Canal was given back to the Egyptians while Israel withdrew from the Sinai. Hostile operations ceased on 7 November 1956. From the war, Egypt was considered the winner as it got what it wanted (Suez Canal) and managed to eliminate the army. Although this was the shortest war in history, it led to causes that caused Egypt to suffer greatly. About 1,650 Egyptian troops were killed, 4,900 people were injured and more than 6,000 were missing or arrested.
- Date: 29 October 1956 - 7 November 1956 (9 days)
- Location: Gaza Strip and Egypt (Sinai and Suez Canal zone)
- Result: Coalition military victory, Egyptian political victory
