War of Attrition
Both sides used attrition warfare in an attempt to weaken the other. Both Egypt and Israel thought that by wearing down the other they would gain an advantage in later negotiations. Egypt wanted its territory back from Israel. The leader of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, thought that by waging a low-grade war against Israel, he would exhaust their resources and get them to give up the territory. Israel wanted to secure its hold on the Sinai and annex it to Israel.