The night Israel refused to abandon its people
Fifty years on, Entebbe’s lesson endures: terrorism must never be rewarded with helplessness, and citizens must not be abandoned
July 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of one of history’s most audacious hostage-rescue missions. Operation Entebbe was an extraordinary military achievement, but its significance extends well beyond the mechanics of the raid. It demonstrated what becomes possible when intelligence, leadership, courage and national purpose converge—and when a country decides that its citizens will not be abandoned to terrorists.
On 27 June 1976, Air France Flight 139 departed Tel Aviv for Paris via Athens. Shortly after leaving Athens, the aircraft was seized by two terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–External Operations and two West German members of the Revolutionary Cells.
The aircraft was diverted first to Benghazi, Libya, and then to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. There, the hijackers were joined by three additional terrorists and supported by the forces of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Amin presented himself theatrically as a mediator while allowing his country, airport and soldiers to facilitate the crime.
The terrorists demanded the release of 53 imprisoned militants, including 40 held in Israel. They threatened to begin murdering hostages if their demands were not met.
The terrorists eventually separated the Israeli passengers—and some non-Israeli Jews—from most of the other captives. For those subjected to that selection, conducted in part by German terrorists barely three decades after the Shoah, the historical resonance was unmistakable.
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