Israel crossed the Suez Canal on the night of October 15–16, 1973, establishing a bridgehead on the canal’s western side. The crossing followed days of fighting around Chinese Farm, where Egyptian forces contested the routes to the canal. Israeli troops then widened the corridor, crossed additional forces and advanced south, cutting the main land route to Egypt’s Third Army east of the canal.
From Chinese Farm to the western side
Major General Ariel Sharon’s Division 143 led the crossing. Paratroopers used rubber boats to establish the first foothold west of the canal, near Deversoir, while other Israeli units fought to secure and widen the approaches. The name “Chinese Farm” referred to an Egyptian agricultural research site whose Japanese equipment markings Israeli soldiers mistook for Chinese characters. The fighting there was costly and confused; it delayed the passage of armor but did not stop the crossing.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense archive dates the crossing by Division 143 to the night of October 15–16 and describes it as a major turning point in the campaign. Its Division 143 crossing archive includes operational records. A broader account in Israel Studies: An Anthology traces the bridgehead and subsequent movement on the western side.
Encirclement and ceasefire
Israeli forces pushed south toward Suez and cut the Cairo–Suez road, surrounding Egypt’s Third Army on the east bank. Encirclement placed the formation in a dangerous supply position, but it was not destroyed: its troops retained weapons and positions, and a ceasefire and later arrangements allowed supplies to reach them. The result gave Israel a strong battlefield position while creating urgent diplomatic pressure on both superpowers.
UN Security Council Resolution 338, adopted October 22, called for an immediate ceasefire, implementation of Resolution 242, and negotiations between the parties concerned. Fighting continued after the first ceasefire announcement, and Resolution 339 followed on October 23. The war ended under a more stable ceasefire on October 24. The Israeli archive records forces near Cairo and Damascus at the end of the war, while the subsequent disengagement agreements reshaped positions without erasing the severe cost of the fighting. The resolution’s actual wording is available in the United Nations text of Resolution 338.