Israel commemorates 50th anniversary of Entebbe rescue operation

On July 4, 1976, Israeli commandos launched a long‑range raid on Entebbe Airport in Uganda, freeing 102 hostages from a hijacked Air France flight. The mission, code‑named Operation Thunderbolt and later renamed Operation Yonatan after the death of its commander Lt. Col. Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, involved flying four C‑130 Hercules aircraft over 4,000 km and storming the terminal in a few minutes. Three hostages and the commander were killed, while the operation cemented Israel’s reputation for decisive anti‑terrorism action.

In 2026, Israel’s State Archives released thousands of previously classified documents, including cabinet protocols and recordings, shedding new light on Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s and Defense Minister Shimon Peres’s deliberations before authorising the raid. Former commando Gadi Ilan recalled, “If there is one thing I need to single out about the operation, it’s the scene of the hostages when we broke in,” emphasizing the human impact of the mission.

The anniversary was marked with exhibitions of historic photographs and personal testimonies, such as that of former hostage Shay Gross, who recalled the moment his father shouted “Israel, Israel!” as rescue forces entered. The declassification and commemorations underscore the raid’s enduring significance in Israeli military history and its role as a reference point for hostage‑rescue doctrine worldwide.