Israeli Commandos Rescue Hostages in Daring Entebbe Raid
IDF special forces fly 2,500 miles to Uganda, freeing 102 hostages held by Palestinian and German hijackers at Entebbe Airport.
ENTEBBE, Uganda - Israeli commandos executed a spectacular rescue operation at Uganda’s Entebbe Airport early this morning, freeing 102 hostages held by Palestinian and German terrorists for a week following the hijacking of Air France Flight 139.
The raid, codenamed Operation Thunderbolt, saw 100 elite Israeli troops fly 2,500 miles in four C-130 Hercules aircraft, landing at Entebbe under cover of darkness. The assault lasted just 90 minutes, with commandos overwhelming surprised hijackers and Ugandan soldiers.
Three hostages died in the crossfire, along with commander Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu—brother of future politician Benjamin Netanyahu. All seven hijackers and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed. The remaining hostages were evacuated to Kenya before returning to Israel.
“We have shown that Israel will go to the ends of the earth to protect Jewish lives,” Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin declared as jubilant crowds greeted the returning hostages at Tel Aviv airport.
The hijacking began June 27 when Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and German Revolutionary Cells terrorists seized the Athens-to-Paris flight. They diverted it to Entebbe, where Ugandan dictator Idi Amin provided sanctuary.
The hijackers separated Israeli and Jewish passengers from others, releasing 148 non-Jewish hostages while threatening to execute Jews if Israel didn’t release 53 imprisoned Palestinians.
The rescue’s audacity stunned observers. Israeli forces used a black Mercedes mimicking Amin’s vehicle to approach the terminal, achieving complete surprise. Commandos shouted in Hebrew, “Get down! We are Israeli soldiers!” as they burst in.
“I thought I was dreaming when I heard Hebrew,” said rescued hostage Sara Davidson. “Then bullets were flying everywhere.”
The operation humiliated Amin and the Palestinian groups, demonstrating Israel’s global reach and determination. PFLP spokesman Bassam Abu Sharif admitted: “We underestimated Israeli capabilities and resolve.”
While Palestinians condemn the raid as violating Ugandan sovereignty, international reaction is largely positive, with Western nations praising Israel’s refusal to capitulate to terrorism.
The Entebbe rescue enters Israeli mythology alongside military victories, proving the nation will take extraordinary risks to save Jewish lives—a message resonating powerfully given the Holocaust’s shadow.