7. The Entebbe Raid
The Entebbe attack occurred on the 3rd and 4th July 1976 and was conducted by an Israeli commando squad. The squad took to action to reduce 103 hostages from a hijacked French airliner which was traveling from Israel to France. The plane had stopped in Athens on 27th June 1976 and was hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine along with the Red Army Faction. The airliner was then flown to Entebbe, Uganda. Whilst here, the hijackers picked up further accomplices and let go of the hostages who did not seem to be Israeli or Jewish. The remaining hostages were kept and used as a bargaining tool for the desired release of 53 militants who were imprisoned in Israel, Kenya, West Germany, and other places. Israel responded to the hijacking on the 3rd of July by deploying four Hercules C-130H cargo planes carrying up to 200 soldiers. The force flew to Uganda and rescued the hostages within one hour of reaching their destination. The soldiers were also able to kill all seven of the militants, and 11 of the fighter planes that the Soviet Union had given to Uganda were also destroyed.