Raid on Entebbe

Rescued Air France passengers wave to the waiting crowd while leaving the belly of the Hercules plane at Ben-Gurion Airport

July 4 1976 – 6th of Tammuz 5736

In an act daring-do worthy of a James Bond novel, a group of IDF commandos traveled 2,500 miles to rescue 103 Jewish and Israeli hostages being held by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Uganda. The tactical brilliance of the message aside, its real importance was the statement of uncompromising resistance to terror and of the Jewish state’s commitment to the security of Jews throughout the world. But heroism has its price, and here it was paid by Yoni Netanyahu, the brave Israeli commander who gave his life that others might live.