Raid on Entebbe (1976) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Israel's cabinet, led by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, refused to negotiate because giving in to terrorist demands would encourage future kidnappings. The government decided that a military rescue operation was the only acceptable response, authorizing a top-secret mission called Operation Thunderbolt to free the hostages by force rather than surrender.

• negotiation
• terrorists
• hostages
• Rabin
• demands
• Operation Thunderbolt

The commandos achieved near-total surprise by using a black Mercedes limousine that impersonated Idi Amin's official vehicle. This ruse fooled Ugandan sentries and allowed the attackers to breach airport defenses undetected. The operation involved four C-130 Hercules transports flying thousands of miles from Israel.

Foreshadowing: Earlier intelligence about Idi Amin's involvement allowed the planning team to anticipate how the Ugandans would react.

• surprise
• Mercedes
• ruse
• entebbe
• commandos
• airport

The black Mercedes limousine was carried inside one of the C-130 transport planes and used to impersonate Idi Amin's official car. This deception convinced Ugandan sentries that the arriving vehicles were part of the president's convoy, allowing the Israeli commandos to approach the terminal without immediate resistance.

• Mercedes
• ruse
• deception
• Uganda
• sentries
• Idi Amin

Dora Bloch had been moved to Mulago Hospital in Kampala for a pre-existing medical condition before the raid began. After the operation, Idi Amin ordered her murder as retaliation for the Israeli attack. She was the only hostage killed after the rescue was completed.

• Dora Bloch
• murdered
• hospital
• Kampala
• Idi Amin
• hostage death

No, Yonatan Netanyahu was killed during the assault. He served as the breach unit commander and was among those who fell in the firefight. His death was a significant loss for the Israeli rescue effort and the nation, as he was the brother of future Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

• Yonatan Netanyahu
• killed
• commander
• death
• Netanya

The operation took place on the Jewish Sabbath because the timing was operationally critical. The Israeli military determined that the raid had to happen during a specific window when Ugandan defenses would be most vulnerable. This decision underscored the weight of faith and duty, as the Sabbath holds deep religious significance in Judaism.

• Sabbath
• Jewish
• religious
• timing
• operation

A total of 102 hostages were rescued and evacuated on the C-130 aircraft. However, three hostages died during the raid itself, and Dora Bloch was murdered after being taken to a hospital, bringing the total death toll among hostages to four.

• hostages rescued
• 102
• casualties
• evacuation
• death toll

After the main rescue operation, a small contingent of Israeli commandos remained behind to destroy the Ugandan MiG fighters at Entebbe airport. This action prevented any possible retaliation by Ugandan aircraft and secured air superiority for the return flight to Israel.

• MiG fighters
• destroyed
• Ugandan air
• retaliation
• air defense

Idi Amin gave his blessing for the hijacked Air France flight to land at Entebbe Airport. Amin supported Palestinian militant causes and provided the terrorists with a safe haven and access to facilities at the airport. His involvement was crucial to the hijackers' plan, as Uganda became the operational base for the hostage situation.

• Idi Amin
• Uganda
• support
• terrorists
• Entebbe
• Amin

The Israeli commandos flew over 4,000 kilometers from Israel to Uganda, one of the longest hostage rescue missions ever attempted. The operation required four Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to carry the assault team, vehicles, and fuel for the daring raid.

• distance
• 4000 km
• C-130
• flight
• long-range
• rescue mission

Wadie Haddad, a leader of a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, ordered the hijacking. He directed the four terrorists who seized Air France Flight 139 in Athens and redirected it to Entebbe, Uganda, as part of a coordinated terrorist operation.

• Wadie Haddad
• orders
• Popular Front
• terrorists
• Palestinian

The hijackers identified Israeli passengers and released non-Jewish travelers at Entebbe. The remaining 94 Jewish passengers and 12 crew members were held hostage. The terrorists then demanded the release of 40 Palestinian militants held in Israel in exchange for the hostages.

• released
• non-Jewish
• passengers
• Jewish
• hostages
• identification