A monument to the older brother of the Israeli prime minister, who was killed in Entebbe, was unveiled in Uganda
A monument to Yonatan Netanyahu—the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was killed during the hostage rescue operation at Entebbe Airport 50 years ago—has been unveiled in Uganda. The monument was erected near the old airport terminal where the operation took place, according to BBC News.
Ugandan Army Chief General Muhuzi Kainerugaba said the monument is dedicated to the courage and selfless service of Yonatan Netanyahu. The sculpture depicts him holding a machine gun.
Yonatan Netanyahu was the only Israeli soldier who died during the raid. Israeli special forces freed more than 100 hostages after the hijacking of an Air France plane that had departed from Tel Aviv and was headed for Paris. The plane was hijacked by two Palestinians and two Germans.
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On June 27, 1976, hijackers from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine boarded the plane in Athens. They forced the crew to change course: the plane refueled in Libya and arrived in Uganda, where it was met by then-President Idi Amin. The hijackers demanded $5 million and the release of 53 imprisoned militants in Israel, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Kenya.
Some of the hostages were released on June 30 and July 1, but the Israelis and Jews remained in captivity. On July 3, Israeli commandos, after flying via Kenya, landed in Entebbe and carried out an operation that lasted less than 90 minutes.
Three hostages were killed during the raid: Jean-Jacques Mimouni, Pasco Cohen, and Ida Borokhovich. Dora Bloch, who had been receiving treatment at a hospital in Kampala, was later killed. The hijackers, three of their accomplices, and at least 45 Ugandan soldiers were also killed. Kainerugaba called the events of that time a painful chapter in Uganda’s history and noted that Idi Amin’s government was a brutal dictatorship that did not represent the Ugandan people.
