On the Fourth of July, 41 years ago, a successful rescue mission was carried out by IDF commandos at Entebbe Airport in Uganda .
While July 4th represents the birth of Israel’s greatest ally, the United States of America, this date carries additional significance for the Jewish nation.
Israeli transport planes carried 100 commandos over 2,500 miles to Entebbe, Uganda under cover of darkness for a truly daring rescue operation on July 4, 1976.
A week earlier, an Air France plane heading from Tel Aviv to Paris had been hijacked by members of a Marxist–Leninist group called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations (PFLP-EO). The non-Jewish hostages were released and flown to Paris while the Jews on board were held in Uganda with the approval of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
Watch this video for the details surrounding Operation Entebbe, also referred to as Operation Jonathan in memory of the unit’s leader, Yonatan (Jonathan) Netanyahu, who fell in the battle. Yonatan Netanyahu was also the older brother of the current prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
