Operation Entebbe: The 1976 Hostage Rescue Mission

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Questions and Answers

What was the official codename of the Entebbe raid?

Operation Thunderbolt

Which group carried out the hijacking of the Air France Airbus A300 jet airliner?

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations (PFLP-EO) and the German Revolutionary Cells

What was the role of the Ugandan government in the hijacking?

The Ugandan government supported the hijackers, and dictator Idi Amin personally welcomed them

What was the approximate distance travelled by the Israeli transport planes to Uganda for the rescue operation?

4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) Signup and view all the answers

How did the hijackers separate the hostages?

They separated all Israelis and several non-Israeli Jews from the larger group and forced them into a separate room Signup and view all the answers

What was the outcome of the release of non-Israeli hostages?

148 non-Israeli hostages were released and flown out to Paris Signup and view all the answers

Who was the unit commander killed during the operation?

Lt.Col. Yonatan Netanyahu Signup and view all the answers

What led to the planning of the rescue operation?

The hijackers' threat to kill the hostages if their prisoner release demands were not met Signup and view all the answers

What was a key consideration in the IDF's planning of the rescue operation?

Preparation for armed resistance from the Uganda Army Signup and view all the answers

Where did the plane make a stopover before flying to Paris?

Athens (Ellinikon) Int'l Airport, Greece Signup and view all the answers

Who among the passengers was not identified as Israeli and was later freed?

A military officer with dual citizenship using his non-Israeli passport Signup and view all the answers

How many hostages were released on 30 June?

48 Signup and view all the answers

How many Palestinians and pro-Palestinian militants did the hijackers demand to be released?

53 Signup and view all the answers

Why did the Israeli government approach the United States government?

To deliver a message to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, asking him to request that Amin release the hostages Signup and view all the answers

What was the deadline given by the hijackers to meet their demands?

1 July 1976 Signup and view all the answers

What was the purpose of the IDF's partial replica of the airport terminal?

To prepare for the military operation Signup and view all the answers

Who provided detailed information about the number of weapons carried by the hostage-takers?

A French-Jewish passenger with a military background and a phenomenal memory Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary task of the 29-man assault unit led by Lt.Col. Yonatan Netanyahu?

To assault the old terminal and rescue the hostages Signup and view all the answers

How did the Israeli aircraft avoid radar detection during the operation?

By flying at a height of no more than 30 m (100 ft) over the Red Sea Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of the black Mercedes car and Land Rovers brought along during the operation?

To bypass security checkpoints by impersonating President Idi Amin's vehicle Signup and view all the answers

Where did the rescued hostages fly to after the raid?

Israel via Nairobi, Kenya Signup and view all the answers

What was the duration of the entire operation?

53 minutes Signup and view all the answers

How many hostages were wounded during the operation?

approximately 10 Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Operation Entebbe: A Counter-Terrorist Hostage-Rescue Mission

Date: July 4, 1976
Location: Entebbe Airport, Uganda
Objective: To rescue 106 Israeli and Jewish hostages held by Palestinian and German hijackers

Hijacking of Air France Flight 139

Date: June 27, 1976
Aircraft: Airbus A300B4-203, registration F-BVGG
Departure: Tel Aviv, Israel
Destination: Paris, France
Hijackers: 2 Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations (PFLP-EO) and 2 Germans from the German Revolutionary Cells
Route: Athens, Greece, to Benghazi, Libya, to Entebbe, Uganda

Hostage Situation at Entebbe Airport

Number of hostages: 106 (Israeli and Jewish)
Ugandan government support: Idi Amin, Uganda's dictator, supported the hijackers
Hijackers' demands: Release of 53 Palestinian and pro-Palestinian militants, including 40 prisoners in Israel
Threats: Kill hostages if demands not met

Separation of Hostages and Release of Non-Israeli Hostages

June 29: Hijackers separated Israeli and Jewish hostages from non-Israeli hostages
June 30: 48 non-Israeli hostages released
July 1: 100 non-Israeli hostages released

Operational Planning and Execution

Israeli government's response: Tried to negotiate with hijackers, then decided to launch a military rescue operation
Raid planning: Israeli forces planned to refuel in Kenya, with permission from Kenyan government
Task force: 100 personnel, including commandos, paratroopers, and medical personnel
Assault unit: Led by Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, composed of Sayeret Matkal commandos
Securer forces: Paratroopers and Golani forces, tasked with securing the airport and destroying Ugandan MiG fighter jets

The Raid

July 3, 23:00 IST: Israeli forces landed at Entebbe Airport
Assault team: Drove vehicles to the terminal, pretending to be Idi Amin's entourage
Ugandan sentries: Shot by Israeli commandos
Hostage rescue: Commandos entered the terminal, shouting "Stay down! Stay down! We are Israeli soldiers"
Casualties: 3 hostages killed (Jean-Jacques Maimoni, Pasco Cohen, and Ida Borochovitch), 5 Israeli commandos wounded, 1 Israeli commando killed (Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu)
Hijackers: All 7 killed
Ugandan MiG fighter jets: Destroyed on the ground

Aftermath

Rescued hostages: Welcomed at Ben Gurion Airport
Ugandan reaction: Idi Amin ordered the killing of Kenyans in Uganda, resulting in 245 deaths
Commemorations: Operation Entebbe has been commemorated in films, documentaries, and books### The Entebbe Operation
Intense firefight occurred between Ugandan soldiers and Israeli commandos at the airport control tower
At least five Israeli commandos were wounded, and unit commander Yonatan Netanyahu was killed
Israeli commandos returned fire with light machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade, suppressing the Ugandans' fire

Casualties and Aftermath

Seven hijackers were killed in the operation
Between 33 and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed
Eleven Soviet-built MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighter planes were destroyed on the ground at Entebbe Airport
Three hostages were killed, one was left in Uganda (74-year-old Dora Bloch), and approximately 10 were wounded
102 hostages were rescued and flown to Israel via Nairobi, Kenya

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Learn about the daring raid by Israeli commandos to rescue hostages from Entebbe Airport in Uganda in 1976. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of this historic counter-terrorist operation.