The Incredible Entebbe Rescue Of 1976

The days between June 27th and July 4th, 1976 were some of the most nerve-wracking in Israel, France and Entebbe, Uganda. A group of Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked an Air France airplane travelling from Tel-Aviv to Paris, via Athens. 248 passengers and 12 Air France crew members were all held against their will in the scorching heat of Uganda as the terrorists demanded the release of prisoners held in Israel. The perpetrators threatened the lives of their hostages, until Israeli commandos pulled off the most daring hostage rescue ever recorded in history.

The Hijacking

After taking off from Tel Aviv, Israel, Air France Flight 139 stopped over in Athens to pick up more passengers before heading to Paris. Four terrorists boarded the plane with guns and grenades, managing to board undetected due to a security strike in Athens. Only minutes after take-off, the terrorists jumped into action, storming the cockpit and ordering the pilot to redirect the plane to Benghazi, Libya. After refueling, the plane was directed to Entebbe, Uganda.

Confusion In Paris

Family members and friends in Paris became anxious when there was no report on Flight 139 and its unusual delay. It would take hours before the realization of a hijacking was to make its way to Paris, and then to Jerusalem. Information about the hijacking and its perpetrators soon became apparent when the hijackers began to make their demands.

Idi Amin

The president of Uganda at the time was Idi Amin Dada, who once had a positive relationship with Israel. But after he was refused a hefty arms deal with the Israelis, he became sour and sided with the Palestinian cause and even converted to Islam. He agreed to allow the airplane to land in Entebbe’s old airport terminal and even came to visit the hostages personally, urging the Israeli and Jewish passengers to encourage the Israeli government to negotiate with the terrorists.

Demands And Threats

The four terrorists who had boarded the plane in Athens were joined by another four hostages on the ground in Entebbe. The “freedom fighters” who represented both the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and “Revolutionary Cells” as they called themselves, armed themselves with grenades and rifles, and even wired the entire building where the hostages were with explosives. They then started to make their demands to the Israeli government, which were the following: a $5 million ransom for the release of the airplane, and the release of 53 Pro-Palestinian militant prisoners. The result of not agreeing to their conditions, was to kill all the hostages.

Splitting Up The Hostages

While the terrorists held the hostages, they split them up into two groups. The first group was made up of passengers who carried Israeli passports, and included other Jewish people who were citizens of other countries. They were forced into a separate room where they were guarded by both the terrorists and Ugandan soldiers. The second group consisted of all the other passengers and the French airline crew.

Releasing The Non-Jews

The second group was released in two batches, and flown to Paris. The French captain who flew Flight 139 to Uganda refused to go back to Paris and told the terrorists that all the passengers were his responsibility. His crew members agreed with him and stayed with the remaining Israeli and Jewish passengers while the others flew to safety.

Formulating A Rescue Mission

Israeli negotiators tried to buy time through Idi Amin, while they formulated a rescue plan. The terrorists agreed to move the deadline date to July 4th from July 1st. All the while, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin met with top generals and his defense minister, Shimon Peres to discuss their options. Rabin wanted to fulfill the demands in order to save lives, whereas Peres wanted to prevent this scenario from happening again.

Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu

Brother of current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan was given the task of heading a team to save the hostages in Uganda. After tireless training, Netanyahu declared that his team was ready to perform the daring rescue raid that would save the lives of the remaining 105 hostages. All he needed was the green light.

Flying To Entebbe

On Saturday afternoon, 3rd of July 1976, a team of 100 commandos set out on a 4,000 km flight from an air force base in southern Israel to Entebbe airport. The four Hercules planes carried the commandos down the African east coast, sometimes flying as low as 20 meters above the ground to avoid radar detection. The planes would not all land during the operation, one would circle above providing communication services to all forces involved.

Tricking The Terrorists

Once the planes touched down on the main airport’s runway, the crews departed on Jeeps and Land Rovers. Soldiers dressed up like Ugandan soldiers and even painted their faces to disguise themselves as Idi Amin’s men while they drove a black limousine, just like his, towards the terminal. Both the terrorists and the Ugandan soldiers thought that Idi Amin had returned in the middle of the night. This would grant the attacking force critical seconds to neutralize the enemy.

Entebbe Rescue

100 Israeli commandos arrived at the old Entebbe airport terminal, but only 30 or so breached the terminal. This team was led by Lt. Col. Netanyahu. They swiftly neutralized the terrorists, 45 Ugandan soldiers, and even destroyed Ugandan MiG fighter jets on the ground. All the hostages were rescued, except for two who were killed in the crossfire. The soldiers swiftly moved the hostages to the waiting aircraft, while heavy fire still persisted.

Yoni’s Hit

During the opening moments of the firefight, Lt. Col. Netanyahu led his special forces team, Sayeret Matkal, to storm the building. A Ugandan sniper spotted him and shot him in the back. Israeli commandos returned fire, killing the sniper and then pushed on. They understood that every moment could mean the difference between life and death for the soldiers, the terrorists and the hostages.

Return To Israel

Within 90 minutes, all that was left behind at the site of the rescue were the bodies of the terrorists and 45 soldiers, and burning Ugandan MiGs. 10 hostages had been wounded and another 2 had been killed. After refueling the Hercules airplanes in Kenya, the commandos and the rescued hostages returned to Israel. They were welcomed with a cheering crowd and the Prime Minister himself who came to meet the hostages and soldiers.

Even 50% Percent

With two hostages killed during the raid, and another killed by Idi Amin’s men in a Ugandan hospital, the mission was still considered a success. During the strategic planning of the mission, all parties agreed that it was a risky and daring mission. They all agreed that if as few as 50% of the hostages made it out alive it would be a success. So when only 3 lost their lives, it was clear that it was well worth it. Lt. Col. Netanyahu was the only soldier killed in the mission, and the mission would be renamed, “Operation Yonatan.”

No Negotiating With Terrorists

The operation was praised by many Western countries around the world, emphasizing the belief that they “never negotiate with terrorists”. Israel felt it was of paramount importance to rescue the hostages and not negotiate, especially after the terror and tragedy at the Munich Olympics in October 1972.