On June 27, 1976, an Air France passenger flight departed from Athens en route to Paris; on board were 248 passengers, including 106 Israelis. At a certain point, the flight was hijacked by four terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The hijackers chose Entebbe, Uganda, as their destination. After a stop in Libya on June 28, the terrorists received permission to land in Entebbe from dictator Idi Amin, a known supporter of the Palestinian cause.

On June 29, all non-Israeli passengers were released. In exchange for the 106 hostages held in an airport terminal, the terrorists demanded $5 million and the release of 40 Palestinian prisoners. They threatened to begin executing hostages starting July 1 if their demands were not met.

Negotiations began from Tel Aviv, and a three-day extension of the ultimatum was granted. This brings us to the night of July 4—time was running out. A black Mercedes followed by two Land Rovers approached the terminal where the hostages were held. Ugandan soldiers believed it was the president arriving to meet with the hijackers. However, two guards grew suspicious upon learning that Idi Amin had recently switched to using a white Mercedes. Before they could react or order the vehicles to stop, Israeli special forces inside the cars swiftly gunned them down with precise machine-gun fire.

The vehicles reached the terminal, and Israeli commandos stormed the building, killing the hijackers. The hostages were evacuated and escorted to C-130 transport planes that had brought in the soldiers covertly. Meanwhile, an alarm was raised, and numerous Ugandan troops rushed to the scene and opened fire. The well-armed and highly trained Israeli forces responded with effective firepower. In less than 30 minutes, everyone was aboard the aircraft, and one of the most daring and high-risk rescue missions in history was successfully completed.

However, the victory came at a cost. Four hostages lost their lives, and one Israeli soldier was killed—the mission commander: Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of the future Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose political path would be profoundly shaped by this personal loss.