Uganda unveils statue of Israeli PM's brother killed in Entebbe rescue mission

Uganda has unveiled a statue of Yonatan Netanyahu, the elder brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Entebbe hostage rescue mission in which he was killed.

The statue, depicting Yonatan Netanyahu carrying a machine gun, has been installed outside the old terminal at Entebbe International Airport, where the Israeli commando operation took place in July 1976.

Uganda's army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said the monument honoured Netanyahu's courage and selfless service, describing the Entebbe operation as "one of the most significant episodes in modern history".

He said the memorial also reflected the transformation of Uganda-Israel relations into a partnership based on "mutual trust, respect and co-operation".

Yonatan Netanyahu was the only Israeli soldier killed during the operation, in which Israeli commandos rescued more than 100 hostages after an Air France flight travelling from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by two Palestinian and two German militants.

The aircraft, which had stopped in Athens, was diverted first to Libya for refuelling and then to Entebbe, where Uganda's then-president Idi Amin welcomed the hijackers.

The attackers demanded the release of 53 jailed militants and a ransom in exchange for the hostages. While several hostages were released in the days that followed, Israeli and Jewish passengers remained captive.

On July 3, 1976, Israeli special forces flew to Uganda via Kenya and launched a rescue operation that lasted less than 90 minutes.

Besides Yonatan Netanyahu, four hostages died during or after the operation. The hijackers and three accomplices were also killed, along with at least 45 Ugandan soldiers.

Acknowledging the Ugandan casualties, Kainerugaba said the soldiers had "fought valiantly" for what they believed was a just cause but added that they had served the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin, which did not represent the Ugandan people.

The Entebbe rescue remains one of Israel's most celebrated military operations and a defining moment in the country's fight against terrorism. For Uganda, the unveiling of the statue signals a continued effort to strengthen diplomatic and security ties with Israel while acknowledging a difficult chapter in its own history.