Closure of the Suez Canal (1967–1975)

On 6 June 1967, after the start of the Six-Day War, Egypt closed the Suez Canal, which it owned and operated, and kept it closed until 5 June 1975, through most of the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula including the east bank of the Canal.

The Six-Day War had begun the day before the closure on 5 June 1967 between Israel and several Arab states including Egypt. Israel bombed most of Egypt's airfields and then entered and occupied the Sinai Peninsula including the entire east bank of the Suez Canal.

The Suez Canal was therefore the frontline between the Israeli and Egyptian military forces. Israel built the Bar Lev Line of fortifications along the east bank of the canal.

In 1966, 60% of Italy's, 39% of France's, and 25% of Britain's total oil consumption passed through the Suez Canal.

The prior 1956–57 closure
The Canal had been closed before, from October 1956 until March 1957 during the Suez Crisis, when Gamal Abdel Nasser, the leader of Egypt at the time, was aligning himself with the Soviet Union and he nationalized the Suez Canal, seizing it from French and British investors.

The War of Attrition 1967–70


Egypt waged a War of Attrition against the Israelis across the canal from 1967 to 1970, in coordination with activity by allies Jordan and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Hostilities initially took the form of limited artillery duels and small-scale incursions into Sinai, but by 1969, the Egyptian Army judged itself prepared for larger-scale operations. On March 8, 1969, Nasser proclaimed the official launch of the War of Attrition, characterized by large-scale shelling along the Suez Canal, extensive aerial warfare and commando raids. Hostilities continued until August 1970 and ended with a ceasefire. The frontiers remained the same as when the war began, with no real commitment to serious peace negotiations.

Yom Kippur War
In October 1973 Egypt began the Yom Kippur War with an attempt to take back the east bank of the canal and the entire Sinai Peninsula from the Israelis, by crossing the Suez Canal in Operation Badr. The attempt partly succeeded in that Egypt regained control of the east bank of the canal, but Israel retained control of the Sinai Peninsula.

Re-opening
The canal opened again in a ceremony attended by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, senior members of the government and foreign dignitaries in June 1974 after the 1974 Suez Canal Clearance Operation cleared the canal of mines and debris.