Israelis in the rear got their first sensual perception that the war was ending last evening when the civil defense commander announced at nightfall that the blackout would not be required. Tearing down the black paper from the windows and rubbing the paint off the car lights was an occasion for a laugh and a cheer–but there is a certain mooted quality to the celebrations of this war’s end.
Firstly, casualty totals are not yet known and people fear the worst. And also the victory was not clear-cut, although reports yesterday of the Egyptian’s Third Army’s encirclement by Israeli forces on the west side of the canal and the surrender of Egyptian troops on the canal’s west bank did buoy peoples’ spirits and made them feel better disposed towards the cease-fire which at first was not universally accepted with enthusiasm here.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.