Timeline of the Israeli hostage period

On Tuesday June 29, 1976, the Voice of Uganda lead story was “PFLP commandos hijack plane”. It was reported that the plane, a French airbus Flight No 139, was forced to fly to Uganda where it arrived in the morning at 4.45am with only 15 minutes of fuel left. It had 275 people on board.

The life president also directed that all passengers aboard should be supplied with food and refreshments.…

The Palestine commandos who hijacked the airplane demanded that no Ugandan security officers should go within 50 metres of the aircraft which, for security reasons, was parked at the Eastern end of the Old Entebbe Airport runway.
The hijackers later accepted the president’s request that the passengers and crew be allowed into the Old Entebbe Airport building.
The public has been strongly warned to keep away from the airport building as the commandos have threatened that if anybody went near it, they will have no alternative but to blow up the aircraft with all their hostages.

On June 30, 1976, a military spokesman warned the Kenya government that Uganda will not tolerate any kind of aggression from them. He said that it was the last warning. Kenyan soldiers had crossed into Uganda through the Karita Police Post and driven away with 18 policemen and their families after destroying the police post.

The spokesman warned that although some of the Ugandan soldiers are now at Entebbe, we have enough forces, both air and ground, to crush any aggressors who may try to invade us from any corner of the country such as Kenyan troops did.

Palestinians’ demand
On the same day, the Palestinian commandos set an ultimatum demanding the release of all Palestinians held around the world. The Palestinian freedom fighters would be taken to Entebbe International Airport to be exchanged with hostages and aircraft.

Amin handed over the demands of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to Bonnefous, an official from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Old Command Post.
On July 1, the hijackers freed 47 hostages (four children and old women) and ordered Ugandan soldiers to move 200 metres from the airport building which they threatened to blow up.

Voice of Uganda reported that Amin frantically engaged the Israeli authorities to speed up the negotiations. Amin handed over the released hostages to the Somali envoy to Uganda, Farah, who in turn handed them to the French envoy, Pierre Renard.

On the same day, Col Bar Lev, an Israeli soldier, rang Amin to discuss the ultimatum.
On July 2, the hijackers freed another 100 hostages, leaving only the Israelis, those with double nationalities and the crew and plane and extended their deadline to Sunday July 4, 1976. The next day, Amin set off for Mauritius.

One of the last people he talked to before he boarded the plane was Defence chief, Gen Mustafa and acting commander of the Air Force, Col Sule. The Israelis struck later that night at 21.20GMT.

The raid
On July 5, 1976 the lead story of Voice of Uganda was Israelis Invade Entebbe: 20 Ugandan soldiers dead in defence act.

Amin told the airport commandant that everything is normal and under control and (he) should call all airport personnel to go back and carry out their duties normally. The OAU, Libya, Somalia, India, and Mozambique condemned the attack.

The newspaper also reported that on Saturday, just before the attack: The Israelis in the French aircraft who were being held by the Palestinian commandos at Entebbe airport…expressed thanks to Amin for his personal concern for their safety and appealed to the Israeli government to react positively in order to obtain their release.

On July 6, 1976 the dead soldiers were buried, with their funeral being held at Kololo airstrip.

At the funeral, Amin reiterated that the members of the armed forces were enough to defend the country.

Two days of mourning were declared.
On the same day Uganda made an official presentation to the UN Security Council, the OAU, and the UN Secretary General to protest the Israeli invasion.

On July 7, Amin sent a message to Jomo Kenyatta, assuring Kenyans that in spite of the recent tragic invasion, Uganda still regarded Kenyans as brothers and sisters and was friendly to the state.

From all the information available to me, the Israeli invasion of Uganda – a member country of the East African Community – had been carried out with your Excellency’s full knowledge and authorities of your government; the message read in part.

The newspaper also noted that two Israeli soldiers had been killed. It noted that Dora Bloch, a 75-year-old Israeli had remained in a Ugandan hospital where she had been taken before the raid. Israel had asked the International Red Cross and an unidentified third country to try to secure her repatriation.

Amin also visited the soldiers who survived the attack and were receiving treatment at Mulago hospital.

They included Ongodia, Achema, Angara, Sempa, Musa, Byarugaba, Data Ahem, Katunda Bugi, and Private Lemi. Others included Private Kasoma, Araba, Bakaibale, Sgt R Gatundabuke, Capt Zam, M. Aya, G. Amako, Kawere, and Sgt Richard.

Airways boss fired
Amin met and briefed the Defence Council about the raid, telling them that a Lufthansa flight had been cancelled at the last minute and the Israeli landing in that time.

The Defence Council was angry with the director general of the East African Airways Corporation, Col Gad Wilson Toko for not informing the government about the closure of Embakasi Airport to give Israeli facilities for setting up its emergency operational theatre.

The Defence Council recommended that Col Toko’s rank should not only be removed, but he should be dismissed as the director general of the East African Airways Corporation.

On July 8, 1976 a spokesman of the Ministry of Health denied any knowledge of Dora Bloch.
The spokesman stated that the Ministry of Health had no knowledge of the whereabouts of the person in question…the spokesman further stated that Bloch has earlier been discharged from the hospital after treatment to rejoin the other hostages before the deadline as demanded by the hijackers.

On July 10, the newspaper reported that British High Commissioner James Hennessy had called on Amin and expressed concern about the whereabouts of Bloch. Amin assured him that Bloch has been released before the raid.

On July 14, 1796, Amin told a high powered delegation at the International Conference Centre that the acting British High Commissioner, James Horrocks had full prior knowledge of the Israeli invasion.

Amin told the audience that as the fighting went on, the acting British envoy drove his car to Entebbe. “I was commanding and I called the Chief of Staff to take him to the officer’s mess where he spent the night (and) was released the following morning and taken to Kampala.”

The Defence Council advised Amin to inform the British government to withdraw Harrocks immediately.
On July 29, London severed ties with Uganda.

Bloch, raid’s best known casualty

The best known casualty was Dora Bloch, who began to choke on what has been variously described as a piece of meat or a chicken bone on Friday, July 2. She was taken to the hospital in Kampala for treatment.

Saul Rubin documents how Idi Amin called Health minister Henry Kyemba on Saturday to see how Mrs. Bloch was doing, with an eye towards returning her to the others.

Kyemba, hoping to spare her what was looking more and more like a bitter fate with her countrymen, lied, saying that she needed another day for her recovery. By the time that day had elapsed, the rescue had taken place without her. In retribution, Idi Amin had her taken from her bed and shot.
Source: Tablet