As is my habit every October, I reach out to young people — among them my family’s youth, colleagues in public work, and especially members of the Takatoff Association, the Education First Foundation, and the Culture and Knowledge Promotion Society, as well as my university students.
The 6th of October remains one of the greatest days of my life.
For those who did not live through the humiliation of the 1967 defeat cannot truly taste the beauty, impact, and worth of the 1973 victory.
I was a medical student at Qasr Al-Aini, and each of us had a brother, father, or friend in the army fighting for the nation’s dignity.
We gathered around the radio, shivering with emotion as we listened to the steady, truthful military communiqués — so unlike those of 1967.
The media had learned from its past mistakes and spoke honestly to the people, and the country’s leaders had learned from the great Egyptian nation — rising to the level of responsibility.
One of the young men, born over 30 years after that day, once said to me:
“Not so fast, Dr. Hossam. There are books and articles saying Egypt didn’t really win that war. Who should we believe?”
Another added:
“You said the same about the 1956 war, and that turned out not to be a real victory either — Israel still occupied Sinai until the U.S. intervened.”
I replied:
“This is not true. A military conflict’s result is determined by who imposed their will on the other. In 1956, Egypt imposed its will on Britain, France, and Israel. Every country uses what it has — armies and diplomacy — to achieve its goals.
By the end of that war, Egypt controlled the Suez Canal and regained Sinai — therefore, the war’s outcome was an Egyptian victory, followed by the resignation of the British Prime Minister.”
“As for 1973,” I continued,
“the world believed that crossing the Suez Canal and breaching the Bar Lev Line — then considered the strongest defensive fortification in military history — was impossible.
Israel had overwhelming technological and strategic superiority. Everyone assumed the situation was permanent.”
“But what happened was that our forces crossed — with organization and wise leadership — and changed a long-standing military reality. Then negotiations came from a position of strength, not defeat.
What followed was the reopening of the Suez Canal to global navigation, the return of displaced people to Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez, and the restoration of Sinai.”
“The October War was part of an integrated strategy to restore dignity and land.
The military effort joined hands with diplomacy and law until even the last inch of Taba was regained — and Sinai became wholly Egyptian again.”
They said:
“But the number of our forces in Sinai was limited — so the recovery was incomplete.”
I said:
“I — and you — travel to Sharm El-Sheikh and Saint Catherine, and until the rise of ISIS terrorism, we used to visit Al-Arish freely. Every gain has its price.
Remember that the Golan Heights has been fully annexed by Israel for 53 years, and the world is gradually recognizing that occupation. The West Bank and Gaza are still under control as well.
Do not let the defeatists transfer their negative energy to you. Egypt won — in battle and in negotiation — and changed both geography and history.”
They said:
“Then why do we only hear exaggerated claims in the media that make us doubt everything?”
I replied:
“You are right — and you have a duty.
Yes, the overblown propaganda and inflated glorification breed doubt.
And we must resist the false narrative that ‘angels descended to fight for us,’ as if our victory were divine magic and not the product of intellect and courage.
We must read — the memoirs of our heroes and even of our enemies — and use our minds.
The truth is that our army and people did win after defeat. We never surrendered. We regained our land six years after occupation.
And we repeated the same civic maturity when the people rejected the Brotherhood’s rule in June 30, ending another attempted occupation.”
“Our army rose because the educated joined its ranks. Science entered its core. The people endured displacement and fear, yet stood by their soldiers — and together they triumphed.”
“That’s why October 6th remains one of the proudest days of my life.
We witnessed our army crossing and winning — the pride and elation are unforgettable.
Everyone volunteered as they could, and Egypt truly won.”
Those who lived through October 1973 must now be over fifty, and the teaching of the October War in schools must be based on scientific understanding, not exaggerated rhetoric that later causes students to doubt the truth.
There are heroic stories rarely told — like the people’s heroism after 1967:
The army returned defeated and humiliated, the president resigned, and yet the people refused to accept it — a symbol of their refusal to accept defeat.
The world mocked our army, our uniform became a target of ridicule, millions fled from the Canal Zone.
And yet, the Egyptian people — in an act of cultural greatness — lifted their army’s spirit, accepted the displaced, and restored the nation’s dignity.
This was a silent battle never commemorated — the people resurrected their army, and the army, in turn, resurrected its people.
We must remember the lessons of October:
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The army and the people are one system.
Without civilian support, there could have been no victory.
Every attempt to divide the army from the people, or the people into factions, will fail — for our civilization’s consciousness unites us. -
Victory came only through change.
Had we entered the war with the same mindset as 1967, we would have lost again.
We learned that you cannot repeat the same action and expect different results.
We changed our strategic and leadership philosophy — and thus achieved victory. -
There is no victory without mistakes and sacrifice.
What is not documented is as if it never happened.
We must analyze victory just as we analyze defeat.
The 1967 defeat was bitter — painfully so — but transformation followed, and experience accumulated until the 1973 victory was achieved.
When the 1967 war happened, I was in high school, under an illusion of power, expecting our army to reach Tel Aviv in a day.
We were deceived — by flattery, fear, and false triumph — until our army returned in retreat and the enemy flew over Cairo.
That experience engraved in my soul a permanent rejection of one-minded thinking, falsehood, and hypocrisy — and a desire for transparency and truth.
My children, the lesson of October is immense — and its wisdom applies even today:
insistence on diversity of opinion, free media, respect for difference (for it reveals truth), construction not destruction, teamwork, and mobilizing the potential of the entire nation.
Happy October to you all.
