Statue Honors Heroism in Entebbe Rescue

Uganda has revealed a statue of Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of Israel’s prime minister, who was killed during the Entebbe hostage rescue mission 50 years ago. The monument, which stands outside the old airport terminal where the operation took place, honors his courage and selfless service.

Historical Significance of Entebbe Mission

Netanyahu was the only Israeli soldier killed in the raid, which rescued more than 100 hostages. The mission followed an Air France flight hijacked by two Palestinians and two Germans that had taken off from Tel Aviv and was diverted to Uganda’s international airport. Uganda’s army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, described the mission as “one of the most significant episodes in modern history.”

During the operation, three hostages—Jean-Jacques Mimouni, Pasco Cohen, and Ida Borochovitch,also died. Dora Bloch was later murdered in a hospital in Kampala while receiving treatment. The hijackers and three accomplices who joined them in Uganda were also killed, as well as at least 45 Ugandan soldiers, in fighting with the Israelis.

Kainerugaba acknowledged the deaths of the soldiers, saying they had “fought valiantly… in what they believed was a justified cause.” He noted that the government of Idi Amin, which they served, was a “harsh dictatorship” that did not represent the Ugandan people.

Legacy and Relations Between Uganda and Israel

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba highlighted the now close ties between the two countries as a “remarkable journey.” He said, “May their memories continue to inspire future generations in the pursuit of peace, justice, and human dignity.”

The Paris-bound plane had taken off from Tel Aviv on 27 June 1976 and made a stop in Athens, where the hijackers, from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, boarded the aircraft. They took control and forced the plane to divert to Libya, where it refuelled. The Airbus A300 then flew to Uganda, where Amin welcomed it as it landed.

The hijackers demanded $5 million and the freeing of 53 militants jailed in Israel, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Kenya in return for the hostages. Some of the hostages were released on 30 June and 1 July, but Israelis and Jews remained. On 3 July, after flying from Israel via Kenya, elite commandos landed at Entebbe and launched the operation that lasted less than 90 minutes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Entebbe a decade ago where he said, “I learned from my brother that you need two things to defeat the terrorists: clarity and courage.” Kainerugaba called what happened half a century ago “a painful chapter in our history” but noted that Uganda-Israel relations have developed into a “partnership characterised by mutual trust, respect and co-operation.” The rescue mission was celebrated in Israel but was a profound humiliation to Amin.