ENTEBBE

City in Uganda, the scene of an Israeli hostage rescue operation. On 27 June 1976, Air France Flight 139 was hijacked en route from Tel Aviv to Paris by two German nationals and two Palestinians, first to Benghazi, Libya, and then to Entebbe Airport. At Entebbe, the hijackers were joined by a second team. The non-Jewish passengers were released, and 101 Jewish passengers were held hostage. Israel, though appearing to begin negotiations with the hijackers and with Ugandan president Idi Amin, prepared for a military rescue. On the night of 3–4 July, four Hercules transport jets carrying 150 Israeli commandos flew from Sharm al-Shayk to Entebbe, evading detection. The paratroopers stormed the terminal where the hostages were being held, killing all eight hijackers and several Ugandan soldiers. Three hostages and the commander of the mission, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu (brother of the future prime minister), were killed. The rescue operation was generally praised in the West but was condemned by Arab and African countries and the Soviet Union.

Entebbe City on the nw shore of Lake Victoria, s central Uganda, e Africa. Founded in 1893, it was capital of the British protectorate of Uganda (1894–1962). Pop. (2002 est.) 57,400.