In the
early hours of July 4, 1976, as the world slept, one of history’s most daring
rescue missions was underway in the heart of Africa. In just 58 minutes,
Israeli commandos stormed Uganda’s Entebbe Airport and rescued 103 hostages
from the hands of Palestinian and German terrorists. But what happened that
night wasn’t just a military success, it was a triumph of human courage, moral
clarity, and unwavering commitment to life and liberty.
This
was Operation Thunderbolt, later renamed Operation
Yonatan in honor of its fallen commander, Lt. Col. Yoni
Netanyahu, the only Israeli soldier killed in the operation.
The
Hijacking
It began on
June 27, 1976. Air France Flight 139 took off from Athens en route to Paris,
carrying 248 passengers, many of them Israeli. Shortly after takeoff, the plane
was hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine External Operations (PFLP-EO) and the German terrorist
group Revolutionary Cells. The flight was diverted to Entebbe,
Uganda, where dictator Idi Amin welcomed the terrorists.
Once on the
ground, the hijackers performed a chilling “selection”, separating the Jewish
and Israeli passengers from the rest. Non-Jewish passengers were released. The
Jews were kept hostage under threat of death unless Israel released dozens of
terrorists imprisoned around the world.
It was a
horrifying echo of the Holocaust, and it struck deeply in Israel and beyond.
“We
Leave No One Behind”
While other
governments hesitated or negotiated, Israel quietly mobilized. Intelligence was
scarce, the risks monumental. Entebbe was over 4,000 kilometers away. But the
message from the Israeli leadership was clear: no Jew would be
abandoned.
A special
commando unit led by 30-year-old Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu, older
brother of future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was selected to storm the
airport. The plan was as bold as it was dangerous: four Hercules C-130 aircraft
would fly low across enemy airspace, land under cover of darkness, and free the
hostages in a lightning-fast raid.
Lt.
Col. Avi Mor, the mission’s lead navigator, recalls, “We had no
reliable intelligence. We were running out of time. But we had to try.”
Disguised
as Ugandan forces, the commandos drove onto the airstrip in a convoy that
included a black Mercedes resembling Idi Amin’s personal vehicle. But when a
Ugandan guard reacted, the Israeli soldiers had no choice but to break cover
early.
In
just 20 minutes, the terrorists were killed, the hostages secured.
Ugandan soldiers opened fire, and in the fierce gunfight that followed, Yoni
Netanyahu was fatally shot while shielding hostages. His loss was devastating,
but his courage became immortal.
By the time
the last aircraft took off, the entire operation had lasted just 58
minutes.
Victory
and Loss
Three
hostages died in the rescue. A fourth, Dora Bloch, who had been
taken to a hospital before the raid, was murdered by Ugandan soldiers the next
day. Some Israeli soldiers were wounded. Yoni was the sole fatality among the
rescuers.
The price
was high, but the victory was resounding. The world stood in awe. Israel had
achieved the impossible, proving not only its military capability but its moral
compass. It stood for life, dignity, and the sacred duty to protect its people,
no matter the cost.
Michel
Bacos: The French Captain Who Refused to Leave
In the
shadow of this bold military operation stood a quiet, steadfast man: Captain
Michel Bacos, the French pilot of the hijacked Air France flight.
When the
terrorists gave him and his crew the chance to leave after separating the
Jewish hostages, Bacos refused. “I’m staying with my passengers,” he said
simply. “I’m a pilot. That’s my duty.”
He stayed
until the very end.
For this
moral courage, France awarded him the Legion of Honour. Israel
decorated him as a hero. He lived a quiet life in Nice, France, with his wife
and grandchildren. In 2019, when he passed away at 94, Israel’s national
anthem “Hatikvah” was played at his funeral. A street in Netanya was
named in his honor.
Captain
Bacos didn’t carry a weapon or wear a uniform, but his bravery shone just as
bright. In a time of rising antisemitism and moral confusion, his act of
solidarity remains one of the most powerful rebukes to indifference and
cowardice.
Legacy
Operation
Entebbe is more than a military story, it’s a human one. It’s about defying
terror, choosing honor over safety, and reminding the world that Jewish lives
are not negotiable.
It reminds
us that in a world too often silent in the face of injustice, action matters.
Lt. Col.
Yoni Netanyahu was
more than a soldier. He was a poet, a philosopher, and a patriot. He wrote:
“The things
for which we are willing to die are the things for which we are willing to
live.”
Michel
Bacos was more
than a pilot. He was a symbol of moral clarity, the kind rarely seen in our
cynical times.
Entebbe was more than a rescue
mission. It was a declaration that never again is not a
slogan, it’s a promise.
And Israel
kept that promise.
