Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked Uganda for erecting a statue honouring his late brother, Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, at the Old Entebbe Airport terminal where he was killed during the 1976 hostage-rescue operation.
Netanyahu made the remarks on Thursday, 24 September, while addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He briefly turned to the Entebbe operation before linking his brother’s words to Israel’s current conflicts.
“My brother, the commander of the storming party, was the only soldier killed in this mission,” Netanyahu said.
“I want to thank Uganda again for recently erecting a statue of Yoni in the place where he fell.”
The monument was unveiled on 1 August 2026 by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, at the old Entebbe Airport terminal. It was commissioned to mark 50 years since the Entebbe raid and honours Yonatan Netanyahu, who commanded the Israeli assault force.
The Entebbe operation
The crisis began on 27 June 1976 when Air France Flight 139, travelling from Tel Aviv to Paris, was hijacked after a stop in Athens and diverted to Entebbe.
The hostages were held at the airport in Uganda, where the hijackers demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces later launched a long-range rescue operation at the airport.
Yonatan Netanyahu, then a lieutenant colonel and commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, led the assault force. He was the only Israeli soldier killed during the operation. Israeli forces rescued 103 Jewish hostages, according to the Israeli military’s account of the mission.
The operation took place under the government of then-President Idi Amin and became one of the most prominent episodes in the history of Israel-Uganda relations.
A memorial after 50 years
The new statue depicts Yonatan Netanyahu carrying a rifle and stands at the old terminal where he was killed. Gen Kainerugaba unveiled it as Uganda and Israel marked five decades since the operation.
During his UN speech, Netanyahu also recalled a conversation with his brother before the 1967 Six-Day War. He said Yoni had told him:
“We’re going to win. We have no other choice.”
Netanyahu repeated the words during his address, saying they remained relevant more than half a century later.
The reference to Uganda came as Netanyahu used much of his UN address to defend Israel’s military actions and respond to international criticism. His speech was also marked by a walkout by numerous delegates before he began speaking.
