Declassified files reveal Israel’s secret path to the Entebbe rescue

Fifty years after the Air France hijacking that led to Operation Entebbe, Israel’s State Archives has published declassified cabinet minutes, transcripts, recordings and documents showing how the government handled the crisis from 27 June 1976 until the raid on 4 July. The material details the first frantic government meeting, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s insistence on blaming France, the diplomatic maneuvers with Paris and West Germany, the internal debate over negotiations versus a military strike, and the final approval of the rescue mission.

The plane, flying from Tel Aviv to Paris, was seized after a stop in Libya and taken to Entebbe, Uganda. The hijackers, Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Germans from the Revolutionary Cells, separated most foreign passengers and held 105 hostages, later reduced when 47 were released for humanitarian reasons. They demanded the release of 53 prisoners held in Israel and abroad, plus a ransom, and extended their deadline from 1 July to 4 July after Israel agreed to negotiate.

The records show Rabin told ministers, “The plane has probably been hijacked,” and said France should be made responsible for the lives of the Israelis on board. One transcript captures Rabin aide Eli Mizrahi saying of the French, “They are whores,” after worrying that Israel’s announcement would disrupt French diplomacy. Rabin also rejected early talk of sending Israel’s ambassador to Uganda, warning against committing the government to a move that could expose an Israeli envoy to Idi Amin.

As the crisis deepened, Israel received intelligence that Uganda was directly helping the hijackers and that hostages were guarded by Ugandan soldiers. Defense Minister Shimon Peres warned that surrendering would damage Israel’s deterrence, while Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur pressed to prepare a force immediately. The government eventually approved the raid unanimously, with Rabin stressing that surprise was essential and that any careless phone call could ruin the operation.

The assault succeeded, with 102 hostages rescued. Three hostages, Ida Borochovitz, Pasco Cohen and Jean-Jacques Maimoni, were killed, along with Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, who led the assault force. The archives also released material on Dora Bloch, who had been taken to a hospital before the raid and was murdered on Amin’s orders afterward. Rabin later told Gur the operation was “extraordinary,” but added, “The problem is not over, and terror continues to operate.”