Uganda unveils statue of Yonatan Netanyahu, Israel's Entebbe rescue hero

Yonatan Netanyahu, the commander of Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit, was the sole Israeli soldier killed during the 1976 Operation Entebbe, a rescue mission that freed more than 100 hostages held at Uganda’s Entebbe Airport. The operation, launched on July 4, involved a 2,500‑kilometer flight to the East African nation, where Israeli commandos stormed the terminal after a hijacked Air France flight had been diverted there by Palestinian and German militants.

Netanyahu’s death occurred while leading the assault on the main terminal building, where he was shot by a Ugandan soldier. Despite the loss, the mission succeeded in liberating 102 hostages, with only three hostages and one additional Ugandan soldier also killed. The raid is widely regarded as a landmark counter‑terrorism operation, and Netanyahu’s role has become a prominent part of Israel’s military history.