Uganda unveils statue of Yonatan Netanyahu at Entebbe

A bronze memorial to Lt. Col. Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, the Israeli commander killed during the 1976 Entebbe hostage rescue, was unveiled at the historic Old Entebbe Terminal in Uganda on Saturday, August 1, 2026. The ceremony, presided over by Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, served both to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the operation and to highlight a renewed partnership between the two nations.

Gen. Kainerugaba described the monument as a tribute to the enduring values Netanyahu embodied: courage, duty, and the defense of innocent lives. He stated that the memorial stands not only in remembrance of a distinguished soldier but also reflects the ongoing security partnership and diplomatic reconciliation between Uganda and Israel. Kainerugaba sharply distinguished modern Uganda from the era of dictator Idi Amin, whose government aided the hijackers in 1976, calling that period one of the country's darkest chapters. He emphasized that today's Uganda is a constitutional democracy committed to peaceful international relations.

The Entebbe operation, later renamed Operation Yonatan, unfolded on July 4, 1976, after an Air France flight from Tel Aviv...