Operation Entebbe was a hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976.[1] A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with
248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists and supporters and flown to Entebbe, near
Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Shortly after landing, all non-Jewish passengers were released.

The IDF acted on intelligence provided by the Israeli secret agency Mossad. In the wake of
the hijacking by members of the militant organizations Revolutionary Cells and the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine, along with the hijackers' threats to kill the hostages if their prisoner release
demands were not met, the rescue operation was planned.[2] These plans included preparation for
armed resistance from Ugandan military troops.[3]

The operation took place at night, as Israeli transport planes carried 100 commandos over 2,500
miles (4,000 km) to Uganda for the rescue operation. The operation, which took a week of planning,
lasted 90 minutes and 103 hostages were rescued. Five Israeli commandos were wounded and one,
the commander, Lt Col Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed. All the hijackers, three hostages and 45
Ugandan soldiers were killed, and 11 Soviet-built MiG-17s of Uganda's air force were destroyed.[4] A
fourth hostage was murdered[5] by Ugandan army officers at a nearby hospital. [6]

The rescue, named Operation Thunderbolt, is sometimes referred to as Operation Jonathan in

memory of the unit's leader, Netanyahu. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, who
served as the Prime Minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 as well as since 2009. [7] As a result of the
operation the United States military developed highly-trained rescue teams modeled on the Entebbe
rescue. The most visible attempt to imitate it was Operation Eagle Claw, a failed rescue of 53
American embassy personnel held hostage in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis.[8][9]

On 27 June 1976, Air France Flight 139, an Airbus A300 (Airbus A300B4-203), registration F-BVGG
(c/n 019), originating from Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying 248 passengers and a crew of 12, took off
from Athens, heading for Paris.[10][note 1] Soon after the 12:30 pm takeoff, the flight washijacked by
two Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations (PFLP-
EO) and two Germans from the German Revolutionary Cells—Wilfried Böse and Brigitte Kuhlmann.
The hijackers diverted the flight to Benghazi, Libya.[11] There it was held on the ground for seven
hours for refuelling, during which time a female hostage was released—who pretended to be having a
miscarriage.[2] The plane left Benghazi, and at 3:15 pm on the 28th, more than 24 hours after the
flight's original departure, it arrived at Entebbe Airport inUganda.[11]

At Entebbe, the four hijackers were joined by at least four others, supported by the pro-Palestinian
forces of Uganda's President, Idi Amin. They demanded the release of 40 Palestinians held
in Israel and 13 other detainees imprisoned in Kenya, France, Switzerland, and West Germany. They
threatened that if these demands were not met, they would begin to kill hostages on 1 July
1976.[12] The hijackers deliberately sorted the hostages into two groups—Israeli nationals and others,
or Jews and Gentiles.[13] As they did so a Holocaust survivor showed Böse a camp registration
number tattooed on his arm, Böse protested "I'm no Nazi! ... I am an idealist".[13] The hijackers held
the passengers hostage for a week in the transit hall of Entebbe Airport—now the old terminal. Some
hostages were released, but 105 remained captive.[11] The hijackers threatened to kill them if Israel
did not comply with their demands.[12]

Upon the announcement by the hijackers that the airline crew and non-Jewish passengers would be
released and put on another Air France plane that had been brought to Entebbe for that purpose, the
flight captain Michel Bacos told the hijackers that all passengers, including those remaining, were his
responsibility and that he would not leave them behind. Bacos' entire crew followed suit. A
French nun also refused to leave, insisting that one of the remaining hostages take her place, but she
was forced into the waiting Air France plane by Ugandan soldiers. [3] A total of 85 Israeli and non-
Israeli Jewish hostages remained, as well as 20 others, most of whom were the crew of the Air
France plane.[1][14]
[edit]Operational planning
In the week prior to the raid, Israel tried a number of political avenues to obtain the release of the
hostages. Many sources indicate that the Israeli cabinetwas prepared to release Palestinian prisoners
if a military solution seemed unlikely to succeed. A retired IDF officer, Baruch "Burka" Bar-Lev, had
known Idi Amin for many years and was considered to have a strong personal relationship with him.
At the request of the cabinet he spoke with Amin on the phone many times, attempting to obtain the
release of the hostages, without success.[15][16] The Israeli government also approached the US
government to deliver a message to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, asking him to request Amin to
release the hostages.[17]

On the 1 July deadline,[18] the Israeli government offered to negotiate with the hijackers in order to
extend the deadline to 4 July. Amin also asked them to extend the deadline until 4 July. This meant
he could take a diplomatic trip to Port Louis, Mauritius, in order to officially hand over
the chairmanship of theOrganisation of African Unity to Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.[19] This extension
of the hostage deadline would prove crucial in allowing Israeli forces enough time to get
to Entebbe.[10]

On 3 July, the Israeli cabinet approved the rescue mission,[20] under the command of Major
General Yekutiel "Kuti" Adam with Matan Vilnai as the Deputy Commander.[21] Brigadier General Dan
Shomron was appointed to command the operation on the ground.[22]

[edit]Attempts at a diplomatic solution

As the crisis unfolded, attempts were made to solve the crisis by negotiating the release of the
hostages. According to declassified diplomatic documents, the Egyptian government under Sadat
tried to negotiate with both the PLO and the Ugandan government, and special envoy Hanni al
Hassan was sent to negotiate in Uganda.[23][24] Negotiations, however, were made futile as the
operation proceeded.

[edit]Raid preparation
Mossad built an accurate picture of the whereabouts of the hostages, the number of militants, and the
involvement of Ugandan troops from the released hostages in Paris. [25] While preparing the raid the
Israeli army consulted with Israeli firms involved in building projects in Africa during the 1960s and
1970s. While planning the military operation the IDF erected a partial replica of the airport terminal
with the help of civilians who had helped build the original. It has been claimed by researchers that
after arriving at the military base to begin work on the replica building (not being aware beforehand
what they were to do), the civilian Israeli contractors were invited to dinner with the commander of the
base. The contractors were told at the dinner that they would be held as guests of the military for a
few days upon completion of the replica in the interest of national security.

According to a 5 July 2006, Associated Press interview with raid organizer "Muki"
Betser, Mossad operatives extensively interviewed the hostages who had been released. [26] One, a
French-Jewish passenger, had been mistakenly released with the non-Jewish hostages. Betser
reports that the man had military training and "a phenomenal memory", allowing him to give
information about the number and arms of the hostage-takers, among other useful details.[26] After
days of collecting intelligence and planning by Netanyahu's deputy Moshe "Muki" Betser, four Israeli
Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft flew secretly to Entebbe Airport, by cover of night, without
aid of Entebbe air traffic control.

[edit]Task force
The Israeli ground task force numbered approximately 100 personnel, and comprised the following: [22]

 The Ground Command and Control Element

This small group comprised the overall ground commander, Brig. Gen. Shomron, and the
communications and support personnel.

 The Assault Element

A 29-man assault unit led by Lt. Col. Netanyahu, this force was composed entirely of
commandos from Sayeret Matkal, and was given the primary task of assaulting the old
terminal and rescuing the hostages. Major Betser led one of the element's assault teams;
Matan Vilnai led another.

 The Reinforcement Element

1. Securing the area, and preventing any hostile ground forces from interfering with
the C-130 Hercules aircraft and the actual rescue.
2. Destroying the squadron of MiG fighter jets on the ground, to prevent any possible
interceptions by the Ugandan Air Force.
3. Providing protection for and assisting in the loading of the hostages aboard the
transports.
4. Assisting in the ground refuelling of the air transports.
[edit]The raid
 Aerial photo of the city of Entebbe and the Entebbe International Airport in sunset

[edit]Attack route
The task force's route flew over Sharm al-Sheikh and down the international flight path
over the Red Sea, mostly flying at a height of no more than 30 m (100 feet) to avoid radar
detection by Egyptian, Sudanese, and Saudi Arabian forces. Near the south outlet of the
Red Sea the C-130s turned south and passed south of Djibouti. From there, they went to a
point northeast of Nairobi, Kenya, likely across Somalia and the Ogaden area of Ethiopia.
They turned west, passing through the African Rift Valley and over Lake Victoria.[27]

Two Boeing 707 jets followed the cargo planes. The first Boeing contained medical
facilities and landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi,Kenya. The
commander of the operation, General Yekutiel Adam, was on board the second Boeing,
which circled over Entebbe Airport during the raid.[22]

The Israeli forces landed at Entebbe at 23:00 IST, with their cargo bay doors already open.
A black Mercedes and accompanying Land Rovers were taken along to give the
impression that the Israeli troops driving from the landed aircraft to the terminal building
were an escort for a returning Amin, or other high-ranking official.[3][28] The Mercedes and
its escort vehicles were quickly driven by the Israeli assault team members to the airport
terminal in the same fashion as Amin. Along the way, two Ugandan sentries, who were
aware that Idi Amin had recently purchased a white Mercedes to replace his black one,
ordered this procession of vehicles to stop. The commandos shot the sentries with silenced
pistols, but did not kill either of them.[3] As they pulled away, an Israeli commando in one of
the Land Rovers that followed the Mercedes noticed that the sentries were still alive, and
immediately killed them with a burst from his unsuppressed assault rifle.[3] Fearing
premature alerting of the hijackers, the assault team was quickly sent into action.[28]

[edit]Hostage rescue
The Israelis sprang from their vehicles and burst towards the terminal. The hostages were
in the main hall of the airport building, directly adjacent to the runway. Upon entering the
terminal, the commandos were shouting through a megaphone, "Stay down! Stay down!
We are Israeli soldiers." in both Hebrew and English. A 19-year-old Frenchman named
Jean-Jacques Maimoni—who chose to identify himself as an Israeli Jew to the hijackers
even though he had a French passport—stood up,[11] and was killed by the Israeli
commandos, who mistook him for a hijacker. Another hostage, Pasco Cohen, 52, the
manager of an Israeli medical insurance fund, was also fatally wounded by gunfire from
either the hijackers or the commandos.[11] In addition, a third hostage, 56-year-old Ida
Borochovitch, a Russian Jew who had emigrated to Israel, was killed in the crossfire.[29]

A C-130 Hercules in front of old terminal after arriving with food and supplies for theRwandan refugee
camps in 1994. Bullet hole damage from the 1976 raid is still visible.

At one point, an Israeli commando called out in Hebrew, "Where are the rest of them?",
referring to the hijackers. The hostages pointed to a connecting door of the airport's main
hall, into which the Israeli commandos threw several hand grenades. They then entered
the room and shot dead the three remaining hijackers, thus completing their
assault.[10] Meanwhile, the other three C-130 Hercules had landed and unloaded armoured
personnel carriers, which were to be used for defense during the anticipated hour of
refuelling; for the destruction of Ugandan jet fighters at the airport so as to prevent them
from pursuing the Israelis after their departure from Entebbe Airport; and for intelligence-
gathering.[10]

[edit]Departure

After the raid, the Israeli assault team returned to their aircraft and began loading the
hostages on board. Ugandan soldiers shot at them in the process. The Israeli commandos
returned fire with their assault rifles, inflicting casualties on the Ugandans. During this brief
but intense firefight, Ugandan soldiers fired at them from the Airport control tower. Israeli
commander Yonatan Netanyahu was killed, possibly by a Ugandan sniper.[30] He was the
only Israeli commando killed in the operation.[10] At least five other commandos were
wounded. The Israelis finished evacuating the hostages, loaded Netanyahu's body into one
of the airplanes, and then left Entebbe Airport.[4] The entire operation lasted 53 minutes—of
which the assault lasted only 30 minutes. All seven hijackers present and around 33-45
Ugandan soldiers were killed.[10] About 11 Ugandan Army Air Force MiG-17 fighter
planes were destroyed on the ground at Entebbe Airport.[4] Out of the 105 hostages, three
were killed and approximately 10 were wounded. The rescued hostages were flown to
Israel via Nairobi, Kenya, shortly after the fighting.[4][7]

[edit]Ugandan reaction
[edit]Dora Bloch murder

Dora Bloch, a 75-year-old British Jewish immigrant, was taken to Mulago

Hospital in Kampala, and was murdered by officers of the Ugandan army, as were some of
her doctors and nurses for apparently trying to intervene.[11] In April 1987, Henry Kyemba,
Uganda's Attorney General and Minister of Justice at the time, told the Uganda Human
Rights Commission that Bloch had been dragged from her hospital bed and murdered by
two army officers on Idi Amin's orders.[31] Mrs Bloch had been shot and her body dumped
in the trunk of a car which had Ugandan intelligence services number plates. Bloch's
remains were recovered near a sugar plantation 20 miles (32 km) east of Kampala in
1979,[6] after the Ugandan–Tanzanian War led to the end of Amin's rule.[32]
[edit]Murder of Kenyans

Idi Amin ordered the killing of hundreds of Kenyans living in Uganda in retaliation for
Kenya's assistance to Israel in the raid.[33]

[edit]Aftermath

The government of Uganda, led by Juma Oris, the Ugandan Foreign Minister at the time,
later convened a session of the United Nations Security Council to seek official
condemnation of the Israeli raid,[34] as a violation of Ugandan sovereignty. The Security
Council ultimately declined to pass any resolution on the matter, condemning neither Israel
nor Uganda. In his address to the Council, Israeli ambassador Chaim Herzog said:

We come with a simple message to the Council: we are proud of what we have
done because we have demonstrated to the world that a small country, in Israel's
circumstances, with which the members of this Council are by now all too familiar,
the dignity of man, human life and human freedom constitute the highest values.
We are proud not only because we have saved the lives of over a hundred
innocent people—men, women and children—but because of the significance of
our act for the cause of human freedom.[35][36]
—Chaim Herzog.

Israel received support from the Western World for its operation. West Germany called the
raid "an act of self defense". Switzerland and France also praised Israel for the operation.
Significant praise was received from representatives of the United Kingdom and the United
States both of whom called it "an impossible operation". Some in the United States noted
that the hostages were freed on 4 July 1976 which was 200 years since the signing of the
US declaration of independence.[37][38][39] In private conversation with Israeli Ambassador
Dinitz, Henry Kissinger sounded criticism for Israeli use of US equipment during the
operation, but that criticism was not made public.[40]
UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim described the raid as "a serious violation of the
national sovereignty of a United Nations member state" (meaning Uganda). Dozens of
Ugandan soldiers were killed in the raid. The Arab and Communist world condemned the
operation calling it an act of aggression.

For refusing to depart (and subsequently leave some of his passengers as hostages) when
given leave to do so by the hijackers, Captain Bacos was reprimanded by his superiors at
Air France and suspended from duty for a period.[41]

Captain Bacos was later awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest
decoration in France, and the other crew members were awarded the French Order of
Merit.[42][43]

In the ensuing years, Betser and the Netanyahu brothers—Iddo and Benjamin, all Sayeret
Matkal veterans—argued in increasingly public forums about who was to blame for the
unexpected early firefight which caused Yonatan Netanyahu's death and partial loss of
tactical surprise.[44][45]

[edit]Nationalities

The aircraft was carrying 248 passengers and 12 crew members[10][note 1]—of which four
passengers were killed and ten injured.[4][7] From the total of 260 people on board, 256
returned home safely.

The four passengers killed were:

1. Jean-Jacques Maimoni—a 19-year-old French Jew who stood up while the Israeli
commandos were eliminating the hijackers. They may have mistaken him for a
hijacker.[11]
2. Pasco Cohen—a 52-year-old manager of an Israeli medical insurance fund, who
was killed by gunfire, either from the hijackers or accidentally by the Israeli
commandos.[11]
3. Ida Borochovitch—a 56-year-old Russian Jew who had immigrated to Israel, was
killed in the crossfire.[11]
4. Dora Bloch—a 75-year-old British immigrant to Israel, was killed by the Ugandan
government as a reprisal for the raid while she was receiving treatment at Mulago
Hospital in Kampala for a condition unrelated to the raid. Her remains were
recovered near a sugar plantation 20 miles (32 km) east of Kampala in 1979.[32]

According to a list by Air France, most of the passengers were Israeli, French, American,
and British citizens. All of the 105 hostages taken were Jews. The complete list is as
follows: