Upon landing in Entebbe at 3:15 PM on June 28, 1976, the four terrorists, two of whom were Palestinian and two of whom were Greek, held 106 Israelis and Jews hostage, threatening to kill them if their demands to release 53 prisoners were not met.

Trapped at the airport for a little over a week, Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) soldiers began Operation Thunderbolt on July 3, 1976, to rescue the hostages. The Operation began with Israeli fighters flying over 2,000 miles to Uganda and immediately storming the terminal holding the hostages. Despite three hostages being murdered, the IDF successfully rescued 94 Israeli passengers and 12 crew members in approximately one hour. Upon the return of the hostages, Operation Entebbe became a symbol of Israeli military resilience. The mission demonstrated Israel's promise to protect its citizens across the world. However, the rescue operation tarnished the Israel-Uganda connection.

Because Idi Amin (Former Ugandan President) openly supported the hijacking, this led to the temporary deterioration of their relationship, which would regrow decades later with strengthened African-Israeli relations.