Israel, Jordan and Egypt finally signed a ceasefire, ending the 1967-1970 War of Attrition.

Egypt was on alert, expecting an Israeli attack to come at dawn. However, the Israelis delay and do not strike until 8:15 AM, when most Egyptian pilots are at breakfast and Egyptian commanders caught in traffic.

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser feared that Israeli troops would gather on the Egyptian border and felt compelled to uphold the mutual defense pact he had signed with Syria. On May 19, Nasser banned the 3,500 UNEF troops from Sinai so that he could mobilize Egyptian forces without interference.