The surprise rocket and infiltration attacks from Hamas on Israel come on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 War, a surprise attack by Israel’s Arab neighbors which began on October 6, 1973.

Israel calls the war the Yom Kippur War, as the blitz began on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar. Jews typically observe the day by fasting and repenting on their sins during the previous year. In much of the Arab world, it’s known as the October 6 War and considered a victory.

The conflict began with Egypt and Syria sending in troops in the hopes they could retake territory in the Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula previously seized by Israel in the June 1967 Six-Day War.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Morocco and Jordan aided Egypt and Syria with troops, financial assistance and weapons. The Soviet Union airlifted supplies to the Arab combatants, while the United States provided aid to Israel.

The war ended with Israeli troops approaching Damascus and an entire Egyptian army surrounded.

To note: The Jewish calendar is lunar, so holidays are not celebrated on the same date every year. Yom Kippur this year began at sundown on September 24 and ended on September 25.