HISTORICAL: How Israeli Commandos rescued 102 hostages at Entebbe Airport, Uganda, in 1976

Femi OGUNLANA

In July 1976, a special Israeli elite commando in a daring operation codenamed “Operation Entebbe” (also known as Operation Thunderbolt), rescued 102 of its citizens held hostages by terrorists at Entebbe Airport, Uganda.

Here is the story in brief:

Beginning: Air France Flight 139 hijacked

On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139 took off from Tel Aviv, Israel, headed for Paris. It carried 248 passengers and a 12-member crew. However, it had a stopover in Athens, Greece, to pick more passengers. But while there, four terrorists boarded the plane, who included two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and two from the West German radical leftist group, the Revolutionary Cells. The hijackers quickly seized control of the cockpit shortly after takeoff from Athens and forced the plane to land in Benghazi, Libya, for refueling before flying it to Entebbe, Uganda.

The standoff at Entebbe

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, who supported the hijackers, welcomed them and deployed Ugandan soldiers to help secure the old airport terminal where the hostages were kept. The terrorists with Israel as target, separated the Israeli and Jewish passengers from the non-Jewish captives, following which they released 148 non-Israeli hostages, who were flown to Paris. Meanwhile, the Air France crew, led by Captain Michel Bacos, bravely refused to leave and chose to stay behind with the remaining 94 Israeli and Jewish hostages.

The hijackers threatened to execute hostages unless their demand is met

The hijackers demanded the release of 53 pro-Palestinian militants imprisoned across Israel, West Germany, Kenya, and other nations. They threatened to execute the hostages if the demand was not met.

Israel government shunned negotiation – Planned Operation Entebbe

Faced with an ultimatum and unwilling to negotiate, the Israeli government secretly and painstakingly planned a high-stakes rescue mission. On the night of July 3–4, 1976, the Israeli Air Force dispatched four C-130 Hercules transport planes. They flew over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) at exceptionally low altitudes (sometimes just 30 feet above the ground) to evade hostile radar detection. After reaching Entebbe, they began the execution of their plan with a deception to catch the airport guards off guard. The lead Israeli plane deployed a black Mercedes-Benz modified to look exactly like President Idi Amin’s personal state vehicle, accompanied by Land Rovers. The Elite Israeli commandos then stormed the old terminal building.

Hostages successfully rescued

The entire terminal raid lasted 90 minutes. Out of the remaining captives, 102 hostages were successfully rescued and flown to safety via Nairobi, Kenya. Three hostages were killed in the crossfire during the raid. A fourth hostage, 75-year-old Dora Bloch, who had been moved to a Ugandan hospital prior to the raid, was later murdered by Ugandan officials in retaliation. All seven hijackers at the site and roughly 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed. Also, the operation’s ground commander, Lt. Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, older brother of current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was the only Israeli soldier killed in the battle. The commandos destroyed 11 Soviet-built Ugandan MiG fighter jets parked at the airport to prevent pursuit.

The Entebbe raid thus went down as one of the most daring in history, connoting strong resistance to terrorism. Israeli citizens were never held hostages in that manner again. The one recently by Hamas fighters in Gaza also by Palestinians, led to a massive destruction of the enclave and assassination of top Hamas commanders. The war is still raging