ORDER OF BATTLE // June 6, 1967
Battle of Abu-Ageila
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 22,000–30,000 estimated
Egypt
8,000–16,000
Medium-confidence figure
Israel
14,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Abu-Ageila on June 6, 1967 produced a decisive Egyptian defeat that proved critical to Israel's capture of the entire Sinai Peninsula during the Six-Day War. With Egyptian forces under Maher Marzouk sustaining approximately 2,000 casualties against an Israeli force led by Major General Ariel Sharon, the engagement broke Egyptian resistance at a strategically significant position. By collapsing the defense at Abu-Ageila, Israeli forces opened the operational path that enabled them to advance across and ultimately seize the Sinai, a territorial outcome that defined one of the war's principal results. Sharon, who later became a prominent Israeli politician and prime minister, commanded the Israeli ground forces in the engagement alongside Yeshayahu Gavish.
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