Israel occupies the Gaza Strip.
The Suez Crisis of 1956, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, was a major international conflict involving Egypt, Israel, Britain, and France. The crisis began after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalisation of the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956. The canal, a vital shipping route connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, had previously been operated by a company largely controlled by British and French interests. Nasser’s decision followed the withdrawal of American and British financial support for Egypt’s proposed Aswan High Dam. Britain and France regarded the nationalisation as a threat to their economic and strategic interests, while Israel was concerned about Egyptian restrictions on its shipping and cross-border attacks by Palestinian militants operating from Egyptian-controlled territory. The three countries secretly agreed to coordinate military action against Egypt, with the aim of regaining Western control over the canal and weakening Nasser’s government.
On 29 October 1956, Israeli forces invaded Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, advancing rapidly towards the Suez Canal. Britain and France then issued an ultimatum demanding that both sides withdraw from the canal area, knowing that Egypt was unlikely to comply. When Nasser rejected the ultimatum, British and French aircraft began bombing Egyptian military targets on 31 October, followed by airborne and amphibious landings near Port Said on 5 and 6 November. Although the invading forces achieved considerable military success, the operation provoked widespread international condemnation. The United States, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, strongly opposed the invasion, fearing that it would destabilise the Middle East and strengthen Soviet influence in the region. The Soviet Union also threatened intervention, while the United Nations called for an immediate ceasefire. Facing intense diplomatic and financial pressure, particularly from the United States, Britain and France agreed to halt military operations on 6 November 1956.
The Suez Crisis marked a turning point in modern international relations, exposing the declining influence of Britain and France as global imperial powers and demonstrating the growing dominance of the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War. British and French troops withdrew from Egypt by December 1956, while Israeli forces completed their withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip in March 1957. A United Nations Emergency Force was deployed to help maintain peace, becoming one of the organisation’s first major peacekeeping operations. Although Egypt suffered military losses, Nasser emerged as a political victor, having successfully retained control of the Suez Canal and strengthened his reputation as a champion of Arab nationalism and resistance to Western imperialism. The crisis also contributed to the resignation of British Prime Minister Anthony Eden in January 1957 and accelerated the decline of European colonial influence in the Middle East. Its consequences shaped regional politics for decades and helped establish the conditions that eventually contributed to the Six-Day War of 1967.