A statue honouring Yonatan Netanyahu, the Israeli commander killed during the famous 1976 Entebbe hostage rescue mission, has been unveiled at Uganda’s old Entebbe International Airport terminal to mark the 50th anniversary of the operation.
The monument was unveiled during a commemorative ceremony attended by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who described Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu as a symbol of courage, sacrifice and selfless leadership.
Speaking at the event, Kainerugaba paid tribute to Netanyahu’s role in leading the elite Israeli rescue force and also honoured the victims who lost their lives during the hostage crisis, including Jean-Jacques Maimoni, Pasco Cohen, Ida Borochovitch, and Dora Bloch.
He noted that the ceremony also served as a moment to remember the innocent lives lost during the incident while pointing out the longstanding relationship between Uganda and Israel, which he said is built on mutual respect and practical cooperation.
The Entebbe hostage crisis began on July 4, 1976, after an Air France flight travelling from Tel Aviv to Paris, with a stopover in Athens, was hijacked by militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine alongside members of Germany’s Revolutionary Cells.
The aircraft was diverted to Uganda, where then-President Idi Amin allowed the hijackers to operate from Entebbe Airport.
During the ordeal, Israeli and Jewish passengers were separated from the other hostages, many of whom were later released.
In a daring long-range military operation, Israeli commandos flew thousands of kilometres to Entebbe on July 4, 1976, rescuing more than 100 hostages.
The mission remains one of the most celebrated rescue operations in Israel’s military history, although Yonatan Netanyahu, the operation’s commander and elder brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was the only Israeli soldier killed during the raid.
Uganda unveils statue of Yoni Netanyahu, 50 years after historic hostage rescue