Operation Entebbe was a successful counter-terrorist hostage -rescue mission carried out by commandos of the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in
Uganda on 4 July 1976.

On 27 June 1976, Air France Flight 139, an
Airbus A300B4-203 , registration F-BVGG (c/n 019), departed from Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying 246 mainly Jewish and Israeli passengers and a crew of 12. The plane flew to Athens, Greece, where it picked up an additional 58 passengers, including four hijackers. It departed for Paris at 12:30 pm. Just after takeoff, the flight was hijacked by two Palestinians from the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations (PFLP-EO), and by two Germans, Wilfried Böse and Brigitte Kuhlmann , from the German Revolutionary Cells . The hijackers diverted the flight to Benghazi , Libya. There it was held on the ground for seven hours for refuelling. During that time the hijackers released British-born Israeli citizen Patricia Martell, who pretended to have a
miscarriage . The plane left Benghazi and at 3:15 pm on the 28th, more than 24 hours after the flight's original departure, it arrived at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

Hostage situation at Entebbe.

At Entebbe, the four hijackers were supported by the forces of Uganda's President, Idi Amin . The hijackers transferred the hostages to the transit hall of the disused former airport terminal where they kept them under guard for the following days. Amin came to visit the hostages almost on a daily basis, updating them on developments and promising to use his efforts to have them freed through negotiations.

On 28 June, a PFLP-EO hijacker issued a declaration and formulated their demands: In addition to a ransom of US$5 million for the release of the airplane, they demanded the release of 53 Palestinian and Pro-Palestinian militants, 40 of whom were prisoners in Israel. They threatened that if these demands were not met, they would begin to kill hostage on July 1 1976, What ensued was terrifically amazing!

Join us on Friday for another episode of one of the mind blowing and greatest rescue mission in the history of Mankind.

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Renaissance