53 minutes, 4,000 km and a black Mercedes: How Mossad fooled Idi Amin, lost Netanyahu’s brother and saved 102 hostages

Israeli commandos with a Mercedes-Benz 600 resembling the one owned by Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, used by Sayeret Matkal to deceive Ugandan troops during the raid (File Image)

Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, is known for daring and high-risk missions. Among its most famous successes is the Entebbe Operation of 1976, a rescue mission that turned into one of the most remarkable hostage rescues in history. The operation combined intelligence, courage, and precision, with Mossad’s planning and the Israeli army’s execution leading to an outcome that shocked the world.

The hijacking that sparked a global crisis

On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139 took off from Tel Aviv bound for Paris with a stopover in Athens. Soon after leaving Athens, the plane was hijacked by members of the German Revolutionary Cells and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The armed hijackers diverted the aircraft first to Benghazi, Libya, and then to Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

At the time, Uganda was ruled by dictator Idi Amin, who supported the hijackers and welcomed them. The 248 passengers and crew were held hostage in the old terminal building at the airport.

The terrorists separated Israeli and Jewish passengers from the others and released most of the non-Israeli hostages over the next few days. They demanded the release of 40 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and 13 others detained in Kenya, France, Switzerland, and Germany.

Israel refused to negotiate

While most governments urged caution, Israel decided not to bow to terrorist pressure. The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, rejected the idea of releasing prisoners.

Instead, Mossad launched an urgent intelligence-gathering operation. Agents obtained detailed layouts of the terminal building, tracked the number of hijackers, and identified Ugandan troop positions. Mossad also secured blueprints of the airport from an Israeli construction firm that had helped build the terminal years earlier.

A secret plan to outsmart Idi Amin

With intelligence in hand, Israel began planning a 4,000-kilometre rescue mission — one of the longest-range hostage rescue operations ever attempted. The plan involved flying a team of Israeli commandos to Uganda under total secrecy, landing undetected, and rescuing the hostages before the terrorists could react.

To avoid drawing attention, the commandos loaded a black Mercedes and two Land Rovers onto the aircraft. The vehicles were chosen to mimic Idi Amin’s motorcade, allowing Israeli forces to move toward the terminal without immediately raising alarm.

On the night of July 3, 1976, four Hercules C-130 aircraft carrying over 100 commandos took off from Israel, flying low across the Red Sea to avoid radar detection.

The 53-minute rescue operation

In the early hours of July 4, the Israeli planes landed at Entebbe Airport. The commandos quickly rolled out the vehicles and sped toward the terminal. When Ugandan guards tried to stop them, the Israelis opened fire, neutralising the resistance almost instantly.

Inside the terminal, the terrorists were caught off guard. Within minutes, all hijackers were killed. The commandos then evacuated the hostages under heavy gunfire from Ugandan soldiers.

The entire mission lasted just 53 minutes. The commandos killed all seven hijackers and around 20 to 30 Ugandan soldiers.

In total, 102 hostages were rescued and flown back to Israel to a hero’s welcome. Unfortunately, four hostages were killed during the mission, and Yonatan Netanyahu, the commander of the operation and elder brother of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was also killed in action.

Legacy of the Entebbe Operation

The success of the Entebbe raid is still studied in military academies around the world. It is seen as a defining example of strategic planning, precise intelligence, and rapid execution.

For Israel, it was more than just a military triumph. It was a symbol of the country’s determination to protect its citizens anywhere in the world, no matter the risks.

In the words of one Israeli official at the time, the Entebbe rescue “showed the world that Israel will never surrender to terror.”