Israelis return to Entebbe 50 years after hostage rescue mission
"Amidst all the scare-mongering messages about Ebola and propaganda from international media, these brave Israelis managed to proceed to Uganda to pay homage to some of their departed relatives who were killed during the tragic incident of 1976," Magezi stated.
(L-R) Col Chris Magyezi, Davidson Benny, Gonen Tzipi and Gross Shay at Entebbe airport VIP lounge on Sunday evening. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
KAMPALA - It was an emotional return to Entebbe on Sunday evening as three Israeli nationals stepped onto the tarmac of Entebbe International Airport, the same place where they endured a traumatic chapter of their lives nearly 50 years ago during the 1976 hostage crisis.
Among them was Tzipi Gonen, who was just eight years old when she lost her father, Dr Pasco Cohen, during the rescue operation that freed more than 100 hostages from a hijacked Air France aircraft at Entebbe Airport during the reign of Idi Amin.
"For a very long time, I've not had the courage to return to Uganda because of the dark history that has clogged my mind and heart for the last 50 years. I was travelling with my dad, mum and my 13-year-old brother when tragedy happened, and the last time I ever had a glance at my father was that fateful evening when his shirt was stained with blood, and I was pulled away from him," Tzipi recalls.
Dr Pasco Cohen, a 52-year-old family doctor from Jerusalem, was among the hostages killed during Operation Thunderbolt.
"When that tragedy happened, I ceased being a girl and immediately turned into an adult who learned to take care of everything and everyone. So, coming back to Uganda is also one way of recollecting myself as a girl," she stated.
The three visitors, accompanied by a journalist, were received at Entebbe Airport by Col Chris Magezi, the acting director of defence public information, on the instruction of Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
According to Magezi, the visitors were accorded an official welcome at the airport's VIP lounge as a gesture of Uganda's cordial relations and longstanding ties with Israel.
"Amidst all the scare-mongering messages about Ebola and propaganda from international media, these brave Israelis managed to proceed to Uganda to pay homage to some of their departed relatives who were killed during the tragic incident of 1976," Magezi stated.
The visitors are expected to access the old airport terminal, which now serves as the VVIP section of Entebbe Airport, to pay tribute and light candles in memory of relatives who lost their lives during the events of 1976.
"Whereas it is only the three of us who have turned up this year, we represent nearly all the Israelis, especially the former hostages," Benny remarked.
Tzipi Gonen displaying a picture of her late father Dr Pasco Cohen who was killed in a crossfire during the Entebbe raid in 1976. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
"I am also going to meet my 13-year-old self, who spent one week being taken hostage here," he added.
Another member of the group, Shay Gross, was six years old at the time and was the youngest passenger aboard the Air France flight.
Although he declined media interviews upon arrival, Gross has previously told other media outlets that he celebrated his sixth birthday while being held hostage at Entebbe Airport.
Remembering Operation Thunderbolt
The Entebbe raid of July 1976, officially known as Operation Thunderbolt and later renamed Operation Yonatan, followed the hijacking of Air France Flight 139, which was travelling from Tel Aviv to Paris.
The aircraft was diverted to Entebbe Airport, where passengers were held hostage by Palestinian and German militants.
Israeli commandos later carried out a long-range rescue operation that freed most of the hostages in a mission that has since become one of the most studied hostage rescue operations in modern history.
Several people, including some hostages and the commander of the operation, lost their lives during the mission.
Half a century later, the memories of those events continue to resonate with survivors and families of the victims, including the Israelis who returned to Entebbe this week to honour their loved ones.