Editing Entebbe raid (section)

{{Short description|1976 Israeli counter-terrorist operation}}
{{About|the Israeli counter-terrorist operation in 1976|the military engagement of the Uganda–Tanzania War in 1979|Battle of Entebbe}}
{{pp-30-500|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Operation Thunderbolt
| partof            = the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] and the [[Cold War]]
| image             = Operation Thunderbolt. IV.jpg
| caption           = Israeli commandos with a [[Mercedes-Benz 600]] resembling the one owned by Ugandan dictator [[Idi Amin]], used by [[Sayeret Matkal]] to deceive Ugandan troops during the raid<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=Terence Smith Special to The New York |date=13 July 1976 |title=Israelis Say Raider Impersonated Amin |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/13/archives/new-jersey-pages-israelis-say-raider-impersonated-amin-israeli.html |access-date=2023-10-05 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
| date              = {{Start and end date|1976|07|03|1976|07|04|df=yes}}
| place             = [[Entebbe International Airport]], Uganda
| coordinates       = {{Coord|0|02|43|N|32|27|13|E|source:itwiki_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| result            = Israeli victory{{bulletedlist
| 102 of 106 hostages rescued<ref name=MHS>{{cite web |title=Tactical Combat Casualty Care – November 2010 |last=McRaven |first=Bill |url=http://www.health.mil/Libraries/101101_TCCC_Course_Materials/0203PP02_Care_Under_Fire_101101.pptx |work=MHS US Department of Defense |access-date=15 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516122925/http://health.mil/Libraries/101101_TCCC_Course_Materials/0203PP02_Care_Under_Fire_101101.pptx |archive-date=16 May 2011}}</ref>
| ~25% of Uganda's military aircraft destroyed<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/4/newsid_2786000/2786967.stm 1976: Israelis rescue Entebbe hostages], [[BBC]]</ref>}}
| combatant1        = {{flag|Israel}}<br />'''Supported by:'''<br />{{flag|Kenya}}
| combatant2        = {{flagicon image|PFLP-GC Flag.svg}} [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations|PFLP–EO]]<br />[[File:Revolutionäre Zellen.svg|18px|link=]] [[Revolutionary Cells (German group)|Revolutionary Cells]]<br />{{flagdeco|Uganda}} [[Second Republic of Uganda|Uganda]]
| commander1        = {{unbulletedlist
| {{flagdeco|Israel}} [[Dan Shomron]]
| {{flagdeco|Israel}} [[Yekutiel Adam]]
| {{flagdeco|Israel}} [[Benny Peled]]
| {{flagicon|Israel}} [[Yonatan Netanyahu]]{{KIA}}}}
| commander2        = {{unbulletedlist
| {{flagicon image|PFLP-GC Flag.svg}} [[Wadie Haddad]]
| [[File:Revolutionäre Zellen.svg|18px|link=]] [[Wilfried Böse]]{{KIA}}
| {{flagdeco|Uganda}} [[Idi Amin]]}}
| strength1         = {{circa|100}} Israeli commandos (plus aerial crew and support personnel)
| strength2         = 7 hijackers: 5 Palestinians, 2 Germans<br />100+ Ugandan soldiers
| casualties1       = 1 killed (Y. Netanyahu)<br />5 wounded
| casualties2       = 7 hijackers killed<br />45 soldiers killed<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dunstan |first=Simon |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/649079751 |title=Entebbe: the most daring raid of Israel's special forces |date=2011 |publisher=Rosen Pub |isbn=978-1-4488-1868-6 |series=The most daring raids in history |location=New York |oclc=649079751}}</ref><hr/>11–30 Ugandan aircraft destroyed<ref name="Brzoska, Michael 1994 p. 203">{{Cite book |last1=Brzoska |first1=Michael |title=Arms and warfare: escalation, de-escalation, and negotiation |last2=Pearson |first2=Frederic S. |date=1994 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-87249-982-9 |series=Studies in international relations |location=Columbia, S.C}}</ref>
| casualties3       = 4 hostages killed (incl. [[Murder of Dora Bloch|Dora Bloch]])<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/188804/Entebbe-raid|title=Entebbe raid|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=26 June 2023 }}</ref><ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/4/newsid_2786000/2786967.stm|title=BBC on This Day – 4 – 1976: Israelis rescue Entebbe hostages|work=BBC News}}</ref><br />10 hostages wounded
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon}}
}}
{{Location map many | Africa
| relief   = yes
| width    = 300px
| caption  = Sites associated with Operation Entebbe
| lat1_deg = 32.096944
| lon1_deg = 20.269444
| label1   = [[Benina International Airport|Benghazi]]
| lat4_deg = 37.936389
| lon4_deg = 23.947222
| label4   = [[Athens International Airport|Athens]]
| lat2_deg = 32.009444
| lon2_deg = 34.882778
| label2   = [[Ben Gurion International Airport|Tel Aviv]]
| lat3_deg = 0.044722
| lon3_deg = 32.443056
| label3   = [[Entebbe International Airport|Entebbe]]
|position1 = left
|position2 = right}}

The '''Entebbe raid''', also known as the '''Operation Entebbe''' and officially [[Code name|codenamed]] '''Operation Thunderbolt''' (also retroactively codenamed '''Operation Yonatan'''), was a 1976 Israeli counter-terrorist mission in [[Second Republic of Uganda|Uganda]]. It was launched in response to the hijacking of an international civilian passenger flight (an [[Airbus A300]]) operated by [[Air France]] between the cities of Tel Aviv and Paris. During a stopover in Athens, the aircraft was hijacked by two Palestinian [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations|PFLP–EO]] and two German [[Revolutionary Cells (German group)|RZ]] members,<ref name="Hartuv" /> who diverted the flight to [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libya]] and then to Uganda, where they landed at [[Entebbe International Airport]] to be joined by other terrorists. Once in Uganda, the group enjoyed support from Ugandan dictator [[Idi Amin]].<ref name="Hostages freed as israelis raid uganda airport">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/04/archives/hostages-freed-as-israelis-raid-uganda-airport-commandos-in-3.html|title=Hostages Freed as Israelis Raid Uganda Airport; Commandos in 3 Planes Rescue 105-Casualties Unknown Israelis Raid Uganda Airport And Free Hijackers' Hostages|last=Smith|first=Terence|work=The New York Times|access-date=4 July 2009 |date=4 July 1976}}</ref>

A week earlier, on 27 June, an [[Air France]] [[Airbus A300]] [[jet airliner]] with 248 passengers had been [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacked]] by two members of the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations]] (PFLP-EO) under orders of [[Wadie Haddad]] (who had earlier broken away from the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine|PFLP]] of [[George Habash]]),<ref name="Hartuv"/> and two members of the German [[Revolutionary Cells (RZ)|Revolutionary Cells]]. The hijackers took hostages with the stated objective of compelling the release of 40 Palestinian and affiliated militants imprisoned in Israel as well as the release of 13 prisoners in four other countries.<ref name="Keesing's">{{cite journal |date=August 1976 |title=Hijacking of Air France Airbus by Followers of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – Israeli Action to liberate Hostages held at Entebbe Airport ... |url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/tomzgroup/pmwiki/uploads/1377-1976-08-KS-a-RCW.pdf |journal=Keesing's Record of World Events |volume=22 |page=27888 |access-date=23 September 2014}}</ref> Over 100 Ugandan soldiers were deployed to support the hijackers after the flight landed, and Amin, who had been informed of the hijacking from the beginning,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/operation-thunderbolt-by-saul-david.html|title='Operation Thunderbolt,' by Saul David|last=Furst|first=Alan|date=2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=8 January 2018|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> had personally welcomed the terrorists at Entebbe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/idi-amin-s-son-my-dream-is-to-apologize-personally-to-family-of-entebbe-victims-1.5396014|title=Idi Amin's Son: My Dream Is to Apologize Personally to Family of Entebbe Victims |work=Ha'aretz|date= 14 June 2016}}</ref> After moving all of the hostages to a defunct airport, the hijackers separated all Israelis and several non-Israeli Jews from the larger group of passengers, subsequently moving them into a separate room.<ref name="Freed Hostages Tell Their Story"/><ref name="Dunstan2011">{{cite book |author=Dunstan |first=Simon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KrL9bHLpOq4C&pg=PA20 |title=Entebbe: The Most Daring Raid of Israel's Special Forces |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4488-1868-6 |pages=20–24 |access-date=4 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="Ensalaco2008">{{cite book |author=Ensalaco |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i7KIa3VuD04C&pg=PA96 |title=Middle Eastern Terrorism: From Black September to September 11 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8122-4046-7 |pages=96– |access-date=4 July 2012}}</ref> Over the next two days, 148 non-Israeli hostages were released and flown out to Paris.<ref name="Dunstan2011" /><ref name="Ensalaco2008" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/enteb_1.html |title=Entebbe; Thirty Years On; miracle on the runway |publisher=Jewish Telegraph |year=2006 |access-date=20 June 2011}}</ref> The 94 remaining passengers, most of whom were Israelis, and the 12-member Air France crew continued to be held as hostages.<ref name="Scharfstein1994">{{cite book |author=Scharfstein |first=Sol |url=https://archive.org/details/understandingisr0000scha |title=Understanding Israel |publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc. |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-88125-428-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/understandingisr0000scha/page/118 118]– |access-date=5 July 2012 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="Dunstan2009">{{Cite book| last=Dunstan | first=Simon | author-link=Simon Dunstan | title=Israel's Lighting Strike, The raid on Entebbe 1976 | year=2009 | publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]; Osprey Raid Series No. 2 | isbn=978-1-84603-397-1 | page=24}}</ref> 

Representatives within the Israeli government initially debated over whether to concede or respond by force, as the hijackers had threatened to kill the 106 captives if the specified prisoners were not released. Acting on intelligence provided by [[Mossad]], the decision was made to have the Israeli military undertake a rescue operation.<ref name="Mossad took photos">{{cite news |year=2006 |title=Mossad took photos, Entebbe Operation was on its way. |publisher=[[Ynetnews]] |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3269662,00.html |access-date=6 July 2009}}</ref> The Israeli plans included preparation for an armed confrontation with Amin's [[Uganda Army (1971–1980)|Uganda Army]].<ref name="Back to Entebbe">{{cite news |date=29 June 2006 |url=http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Back-to-Entebbe |title=Back to Entebbe|last=Feldinger|first=Lauren Gelfond |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|access-date=4 July 2009}}</ref>

Initiating the operation at nightfall on 3 July 1976, Israeli transport planes flew 100 commandos over {{convert|4000|km|mi}} to Uganda for the rescue effort. Over the course of 90 minutes, 102 of the hostages were rescued successfully, with three having been killed. One of the dead hostages, [[Murder of Dora Bloch|Dora Bloch]], was murdered by Ugandan authorities at a hospital in [[Kampala]] shortly after the Israeli rescue operation; she had fallen ill during the hijacking and was removed from the plane for treatment prior to the commandos' arrival. The Israeli military suffered five wounded and one killed; [[Yonatan Netanyahu]] was Israel's sole fatality of Operation Entebbe, and had led [[Sayeret Matkal]] during the rescue effort – he was the older brother of [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], who would later become Israel's prime minister.<ref name="The Knesset at Sixty">{{cite web|url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/lexicon/eng/entebbi_eng.htm|title=Operation Entebbe|publisher=The Knesset at Sixty|access-date=4 July 2009}}</ref> The Israeli commandos killed all of the hijackers and 45 Ugandan soldiers, and 11 of Uganda's<ref name="britannica.com"/><ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/> [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17s]] and [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]]s were destroyed.<ref name="Brzoska, Michael 1994 p. 203"/> Over the course of the operation in Uganda, Israel received support from neighbouring [[Kenya]]. [[Idi Amin]], the then President of Uganda, subsequently issued orders for the Ugandan army to kill all Kenyans living in Uganda,<ref name="Ube">{{Cite web |last=Bayerlin |first=Ulrich |date=1977 |title=Abhandlungen: Die israelische Befreiungsaktion von Entebbe in völkerrechtlicher Sicht |trans-title=Essays: The Israeli liberation operation of Entebbe from an international law perspective |url=http://www.zaoerv.de/37_1977/37_1977_2_a_213_243.pdf |website=zaoerv.de |publisher=Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law |language=de}}</ref> leading to the deaths of 245 Kenyan-Ugandans and the exodus of around 3000 Kenyans from Uganda.<ref name="Keesing27891" />