The Israel State Archives has declassified thousands of pages of confidential documents related to the 1976 Entebbe hostage crisis, making them available to the public.
The documents detail the decisions made and discussions held by the Israeli government, from the hijacking of the Air France plane to the successful rescue of the hostages at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
The archival materials include notes from consultations between then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his special security team, full minutes of Cabinet and Security Cabinet meetings, newly released audio recordings, and diplomatic correspondence.
According to the documents, Yitzhak Rabin interrupted a Cabinet meeting to inform ministers of the Air France hijacking and emphasized France's direct responsibility for the safety of Israeli passengers.
While the government considered negotiating with the terrorists, it simultaneously prepared a special rescue operation. Consequently, a successful military operation was carried out at Entebbe Airport on July 4, 1976.
During the operation, Israeli hostages and French Air France crew members were freed. However, four people lost their lives. Among the casualties was Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu, commander of Israel's elite "Sayeret Matkal" special forces unit.
Although the operation was initially called "Operation Entebbe" or "Thunderbolt," it was later renamed "Operation Yonatan" in memory of Yoni Netanyahu.
Transcripts of five telephone conversations by Colonel Baruch Bar-Lev, Israel's former military attaché who negotiated with Ugandan leader Idi Amin to free the hostages, have also been published.
The archive also includes an interview with Holocaust survivor and hostage Yitzhak David. He stated that the separation of Israeli passengers from other hostages brought back painful memories of the Holocaust for him.
The collection also features diplomatic correspondence between Israel and France, communications with the governments of the hostages' home countries, discussions at the UN Security Council, letters sent to Yitzhak Rabin from world leaders and citizens after the operation, as well as documents and photos related to Yoni Netanyahu.
The Israel State Archives presented these materials to the public as part of a special online archive project prepared for the 50th anniversary of Operation Entebbe.
