The Yom Kippur War lasted 19 days, from October 6 to October 25, 1973.
Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack against Israel on October 6, a date that was both Yom Kippur and the tenth day of Ramadan. Egypt crossed the Suez Canal into the Sinai Peninsula, while Syrian forces attacked across the Golan Heights. The opening assault briefly reversed Israel’s gains from the 1967 Six-Day War.
Israel mobilized its reserves and counterattacked on both fronts. Israeli forces eventually crossed to the western side of the Suez Canal and advanced toward Damascus, although later fighting and ceasefire violations complicated the war’s final phase. The United Nations Security Council called for a ceasefire through Resolution 338.
The dates can cause a counting mix-up: October 6 through October 25 covers 20 calendar dates inclusively, but the elapsed duration is conventionally described as 19 days. Some accounts emphasize the first ceasefire on October 22 or later ceasefire enforcement, but 19 days is the standard quiz answer for the war as a whole.