JUL 5: Tel Aviv - An Israeli commando force landed at Entebbe airport in Uganda on Saturday night and, in a daring raid, rescued 101 hostages who had been held for nearly a week by a group of pro-Palestinian terrorists.
They were released only hours before the deadline set by the terrorists expired.
In one of the most daring feats of arms since World War II, the Israeli commandos landed at Entebbe airport in three Hercules aircraft, freed the hostages and took off for Nairobi, Kenya, all in the space of 36 minutes, according to eyewitnesses.
Three hostages died during or after the raid. Two were killed outright and a third died of wounds in a Nairobi hospitalThe first of the rescue planes landed at a remote runway at Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv at about 7.30 p.m. (New Zealand time).
Word of the rescue operation spread like wildfire in Tel Aviv well before dawn and was greeted with a mixture of surprise, relief and pride.
"Bomba" (great) shouted an Israeli to a reporter hurrying to his office.
Two cars full of people at a stoplight shouted the news to each other excitedly.
"Fantastic, how did they do it?" another Israeli said.
Sirens hooted and hundreds of airport workers cheered.
The Prime Minister, Mr Yitzhak Rabin, and Defence Minister Shimon Peres were in the throng at the airport when the hostages arrived.
"I am very proud and happy," Mr Peres said. "I'm proud of the army and I'm proud of the nation."
HOSTAGES DIVIDED
The hijackers had divided their hostages, including 12 Air France crew members, into small groups and encircled them with dynamite at the sweltering airfield 32km (20 miles) from Kampala.
The hijackers had demanded the release of 40 prisoners from Israel and others from West Germany, Switzerland, France and Kenya.
"There were six terrorists holding us prisoner," one hostage, Sarah Davidson, said.
"One of them was a German woman and one was a German man.
"When the Israeli raid started we heard firing and explosions and we thought the terrorists were blowing up the airport building" she told correspondents. "Then we saw the Israeli soldiers and we rejoiced, we rejoiced."