The War of Attrition was a limited war fought between Egypt and Israel 1968-1970. It was initiated by Egypt as a way to make Israel’s occupation of the Sinai as costly as possible. President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt’s rationale was explained by journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal:

"If the enemy succeeds in inflicting 50,000 casualties in this campaign, we can go on fighting nevertheless, because we have manpower reserves. If we succeed in inflicting 10,000 casualties, he will unavoidably find himself compelled to stop fighting, because he has no manpower reserves."

The war ended with a cease-fire signed between the countries in 1970 with frontiers at the same place as when the war started.