Entebbe Hijacking.. The Untold Story of Netanyahu’s Brother’s Final Mission

The recent violent incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel has once again brought the country’s history of aircraft hijackings into focus. One of the most significant incidents was the 1976 Entebbe hijacking. On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139, which had departed from Tel Aviv for Paris, was hijacked shortly after making a stop in Athens. The hijackers diverted the aircraft to Entebbe Airport in Uganda and held the passengers hostage, demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli and Jewish passengers were held separately, while diplomatic efforts to secure their release failed, prompting Israel to prepare a military rescue operation.

Using intelligence gathered by Mossad, Israeli forces obtained crucial information about the Entebbe terminal and surrounding facilities. On the night of July 3, Israeli commandos flew into Uganda and used vehicles resembling those associated with Ugandan President Idi Amin in an attempt to pass through security checkpoints. The commandos then stormed the terminal, killed the hijackers and rescued the hostages. The operation was led by Yonatan Netanyahu, the brother of Benjamin Netanyahu. He was killed in the exchange of fire as the hostages were being evacuated. Three hostages also died, while several others were injured. The raid lasted about 53 minutes and was initially known as Operation Thunderbolt before being renamed Operation Yonatan.