Original subtitles

Noah Films thanks the lsraeli Defense Forces

for assisting technically and providing the necessary equipment

for producing this film. However, the producers would like to clarify

that the lDF did not take part in the initiative to make this film

and that the producers are exclusively responsible

for its contents and presentation.

Noah Films wishes to express their gratitude to the lsraeli government

and its ministers for their help in the making of this film.

Especially Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Foreign Minister Yigal Alon,

Defense Minister Shimon Peres and Transportation Minister Gad Yakobi

who agreed to have footage of them inlaid within the film.

Noah Films Presents:

Yehoram Gaon

Gila Almagor

Asi Dayan

No good.

ln a film by Menahem Golan

Operation Thunderbolt

Ready?

Go.

Go.

Once more.

Go.

We can do it much faster.

Come on, let's do it again.

Ready?

Go.

lt's not good enough.

Come on, let's do it again.

Produced by: Menahen Golan & Yoram Globus

Written and Directed by: Menahem Golan

Here's your passport and boarding pass.

Have a nice flight. -Has my kosher meal been arranged?

Yes, of course. -Thank you.

Do you really have to mess up our luggage? We're lsraelis!

Mom, it's a security check.

Efrayim, don't interrupt when l'm talking.

140 Lira, please.

This is the last tax l pay in this country.

l hate goodbyes. Take Bobo. Take good care of him, OK?

Yona, why are you crying?

Your brother could have sent me a ticket too, he's rich.

lf he's that rich, why would he leave Greece for America?

Uri, take care of your mom.

And Amnon, take care of this country till l come back.

OK, Dad, don't worry.

Rami, don't forget to write. -l don't understand,

why don't you fly with El-Al? -What's the difference?

Hey, there's Bobby. Bobby!

He's here, finally...

Keep this in the office for me,

l'll pick it up in two weeks when l get back.

What took you so long? -Don't come near me,

we'll talk on the plane. -But you have my ticket.

Are you going to wear your uniform to Paris?

Go inside, we'll talk later. -What about my luggage?

Mom, l don't understand why you have to go to New York.

Danny wants us there. -Can't he get married in lsrael?

We're going, stop upsetting Mom.

Mother will wait for you at the airport in Paris.

l'll miss you, Daddy. -l'll miss you too.

Attention please.

Announcing the arrival of Air France,

flight no. 139 from Tel Aviv en route to Paris.

Departure will be announced when the flight is ready to go.

Thank you. Yes, please.

Moshe.

Our ''cousins''. -So what?

Get me that perfume.

All passengers for flight 139 to Paris

will proceed to gate no. 10 for immediate boarding. Thank you.

Stop. What happened? -There's a power failure.

You may go through.

You may go through. Have a nice flight.

What are you doing?

Moshe, it's late. -Relax, Mom, we'll be taking off soon.

Pnina, sit down and fasten you seat belt.

Efrayim, you too.

Efrayim, what are you staring at?

They look like Arabs. -Oh, stop it.

They're tourists, just like us. -l don't trust them.

Stop this nonsense, take your book out and read. Really...

Excuse me, l don't speak German.

Are you from lsrael? -Yes, why?

l would like very much to visit your country one day. -Oh.

We have many tourists from Germany. -ls that so?

Surprising, isn't it?

How the world changes. -Yeah.

Would you like a paper?

lsraeli newspaper?

Would you like a paper?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.

l welcome the passengers who joined us in Athens

on this Air France flight no. 139.

We will land at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris

in about two and a half hours.

We will fly at an altitude of 10,000 meters,

at a speed of 900 kilometers per hour.

Weather conditions are good.

l wish you all a pleasant flight.

What do you have there?

l don't speak Hebrew. You speak English?

What do you have there? -Candy.

And there?

Dates. Want some? -No. Thank you.

May l offer you some champagne? -l have my own label.

l'll get you some glasses.

Mom, look!

Everybody up!

Up! Up!

Hands on you head. Now!

To the back of the aircraft.

Hands on your head. Put your hands on your head.

On the floor. -On the floor, face down. Quickly!

Get up. Leave her alone.

To the back.

Keep going.

Quickly!

Everything will be all right if you stay in your seats,

don't move and obey.

What's all that noise? Would you take a look?

Sit down.

You will do exactly what l say. -OK.

l know how to navigate, don't try to fool me.

What do you want me to do?

We're changing course, southwest.

South Africa... -Shut up!

We should do as he says.

And no French! -OK.

Now go ahead, change course.

l got a hijack signal, it's Air France 139. -Where?

On southwest direction now. Get the security. -OK, sir.

Emergency! Emergency!

Everybody stay in your seats,

keep your hands up and be quiet. ls that clear?

This is a grenade and we can blow the plane up.

The plane's turning...

Quiet you there!

This is a hand grenade, l'll blow up the plane if a word is said.

Quiet!

All right? -OK, everything's under control.

Captain.

Give me the microphone.

You want to speak to the passengers? -Yes.

May l have your attention please.

This is your new captain speaking. My name is Fazil El-Kubezi,

of the Che Guevara Force.

The special command unit, ''Gaza''.

This plane is now under our control.

lt will answer to the name ''Haifa''

and only to that name.

How dare he call the plane ''Haifa''?

Efrayim, just be quiet.

Mom, l'm tired, can l put my hands down? -No, dummy.

No one asked you. -Stop fighting.

We should have never left lsrael.

l had a feeling things would turn out badly.

We have an American visa, and a Green Card.

Maybe they'll leave us alone.

Yeah, but we also have lsraeli passports. -Quiet!

l have an opening in Paris this week.

l'm an actress.

They will not hold us that long, will they?

They'll kill us, like the Nazis.

l'm sorry.

''Air France 139, hijacked 20 minutes after take-off from Athens''

- Ministry of Transportation -

Announce a high-status emergency. -Yes, Minister.

- Prime Minister's Office -

Get me the file on hijacking, it should be here somewhere.

Yitzhak?

Ella? Hello, where is he? -ln the Knesset. Tax debate.

Still at it? Shula, we're going to the Knesset.

Dan, what happened?

- Ministry of Foreign Affairs -

- Ministry of Defense -

Yes. -Sir, the chief-of-staff is on the line.

Yes, Motta.

l understand, l'll send Yoni's men.

Get Yoni on the line, immediately.

Hello. Yoni, it's for you. -Who is it?

Yes.

When?

l see.

What's wrong? -A plane was hijacked.

Ziva, let me talk to Meir.

Meir, Yoni's on the line.

Yeah, what's up? -A plane was hijacked.

Get the men over to the airport, l'll see you there. -OK.

Make contact with Shuki.

l'll call later. -No kiss?

What are you doing next month? -Why?

We're getting married.

''Air France flight no. 139 en route from Athens to Paris

''was hijacked this morning twenty minutes after take-off from Athens.

''Many passengers on the flight, which originated in Tel Aviv,

''are lsraeli. The government's security committee

''is holding an emergency session with the Prime Minister.

''There is no news on the direction in which the airbus is heading

''or on the hijackers' demands.''

Shuki, you're so preoccupied with these flowers

that you don't even know what's happening in the world.

What could possibly happen?

A plane full of lsraelis was hijacked.

Please. Ladies and gentlemen, one at a time.

Yes, Mr Rogman. -Thank you, Mr Zamir.

Which way are they heading?

Our latest report is that the Airbus is flying southwest.

That could mean Egypt or Algeria?

At this stage, your guess is as good as mine. -Thank you very much.

Mr Richards.

ls there any chance that they'll try to land here in Tel Aviv?

We don't know.

At this minute, they are heading towards the North African coast.

Only one more question.

l really must get back to the Prime Minister's office.

One last question.

Yes, Mr Ryan. -Mr Zamir, are there many lsraelis aboard?

We don't know exactly, but a considerable number.

Let's say the plane lands in Algeria,

now that wouldn't be the first time

a large group of lsraelis have been held in an Arab country, right?

Yes, you're right, if you recall, an El Al flight was hijacked

to Algeria in 1968. -1968.

Well, what's the government planning to do about that?

At this moment, all we can do is wait.

Mr Zamir, l'm sure you can give us more details.

l don't understand why the same thing always happen to lsraelis?

Our Foreign Minister Alon, is in touch with all the foreign ministers

and at this moment he's on the telephone with Dr Kissinger.

Everybody listen to me.

Put your hands down and take out your passports.

Hold them high above your heads so we can see them.

You're lucky, you have an American passport.

Miryam, what are you doing?

Be quiet, don't call me Miryam, call me Mary.

You must give them your passport.

l have two. l'll give them the British one.

Up! Hold the passports above your heads!

Will we get them back?

We have American visa.

See? l told you. -Silence, l said.

Now you can keep your hands down, but no speaking!

Ladies and gentlemen,

this is your new captain speaking again.

For your information,

in thirty minutes, we will be landing.

Attention! -Quiet!

After the Sabena hijacking, the terrorists know

that we are capable of raiding a plane,

but each situation has its own solution.

This time it's a French airbus.

Pay attention. The plane has 3 entrances: back, center and front.

Will they let us get off?

Here in Benghazi? l hope not.

l wouldn't want to bump into Kaddafi.

Mommy, it is so hot. -l know, my darling, l know.

What are you doing?

What's wrong with you?

Where's your shaving kit? -l don't know. Why?

l need something sharp, a pin.

Ma'am, let me have your brooch for a second.

What are you doing? -Stop it. she's looking at us.

''Haifa'' to Benghazi. ''Haifa'' to Benghazi.

What's wrong? -l can't do anything.

She's pregnant and she's bleeding. She must get to a hospital.

OK, we'll see what we can do.

Thank you.

We have a pregnant woman who's bleeding.

We'd better get her out of here.

How do you know she isn't faking? -The doctor examined her.

l'll get an ambulance.

Caprila, stay calm.

Down in your seats. Why did you let these people stand up?

Sit down!

''Haifa'' to Benghazi.

''Haifa'' to Benghazi.

We can't go on like this, these people need oxygen.

lt's none of your business.

How can a German woman be involved in something like this?

We're freedom fighters. -Really?

Whose freedom? -The whole world's.

Haven't we Germans done enough to the Jews already?

Your Germany is not my Germany. We're not fighting the Jews.

We're fighting against the imperialistic Zionists,

just like we're fighting the German reactionary government.

Back to your seat!

Remind the Minister that Dr Haddad was promised your full cooperation.

We need thirty tons of fuel.

And where's the ambulance l asked for?

Hello. -Hello. -Pleased to meet you.

Hello. President Kaddafi sends you his regards.

Send him our regards in return.

ls everything set? -Everything is OK.

May Allah be with you. Goodbye.

We're taking off. -Where to?

l'll tell you later, just take off.

Hello, sir. We want to see the Prime Minister.

We must speak to him. -l'm sorry, you can't go in here.

No, we must see the Prime Minister.

We'll show you our lD cards. -No.

Sir, my son's on that plane. -l can't let you in. -Why not?

What's going on here? -Hello, sir.

My name is Dr Weissberg. -From the press?

No, my son is on the plane.

This is my wife and Mr Grossman.

l'm Nurit Aviv's lawyer. She's my client and friend.

Nurit Aviv, the actress? She's on the plane too? -Yes.

We must see the Prime Minister. -l'm sure he'd like to meet you,

but he's very busy, he's in a very important meeting.

What's more important than the lives of 250 innocent people?

Go.

You don't need that.

lt's my beauty-case, it's makeup.

l said, you don't need that.

Nobody will look at your face here.

Now you can go.

Lay down! -Everybody, back in your seats!

Get back, or you'll get the same.

Sit down!

Why didn't you raise your hand?

l told you before, if you want to go to the toilet,

you raise your hand, is that clear?

Hurry up!

Hurry up!

Faster! Faster!

Faster!

Don't look at me like that.

Do it faster!

lf you decide to leave the army, go and study.

lt's always good to ''recharge your batteries''.

Take my advice, go and study.

Then why did you leave your studies and reenlist?

Because it's important to serve in the army.

Besides, l intend to continue my studies.

Yoni.

You can send your men back to base. -lt's over?

Not exactly, they changed course.

They're flying over Africa. -Were do you think they'll land?

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, we don't know yet.

So now it's a political matter? -lt's out of our hands.

l have a feeling it'll come back to our hands.

OK, we're going home.

Yoni.

ls it over? -Not yet.

Hello.

Hello.

Welcome to Uganda.

He's gonna kill us, they're putting a bomb there.

Those are grenades. -Quiet now.

Silence, l said. Shut up. Will you shut up?

Gentlemen, l have some news for you.

They've landed in Uganda. -Uganda?

But lsrael has no diplomatic relations with Uganda.

Yes, you're right,

but the Foreign Minister is on it right now, trying to reach Amin

through the French authorities.

How many Americans Jews are on board?

We believe we have about 103 lsraelis,

the rest of them are American, French and German tourists,

among them, of course, several Jews.

ls there any information on who's injured on this skyjack?

Two women were taken off in Benghazi, on their way to London.

We'll have more news soon. That's all, thank you.

What a night!

Great weather. ln this country, the sun even shines at night.

Sorry, this is for for the other six.

You'll get some later. Sorry...

Please keep quiet, a little bit.

Quiet, be quiet.

How's it going?

He will feel all right, l shall give him something.

May l please have some water, please?

Excuse me, tell me please, are these black soldiers protecting us

or are they collaborating with the terrorists?

l hope they'll protect us. l hope...

That's all l can say. Please... -Can't we take off? -We can't...

Do you speak French? -No, Greek. -A little...

l'm asking you to cooperate until this is over.

Ask him how long they'll keep us here. -He doesn't know.

Do you know? Neither do l, nor him. -l'm just asking.

We don't have a generator. We'd be much better off if we did.

Please, don't upset him. -Excuse me...

Are they going to publish the names of all the passengers?

He has enough on his mind.

Are they going to publish the names of the passengers?

They're coming back. Back to your seats.

Madam, please, sit down.

Quickly.

Ladies and gentlemen, please get ready to leave the aircraft.

Don't worry about your personal belongings.

lt will be brought along later.

l repeat: leave everything behind you. Don't worry.

And take the back door.

Now the crew, captain first. Come on!

Come on, move!

Move everybody!

Keep moving!

Please, go back.

Go back.

Move back please!

There aren't even chairs here.

lt means they won't keep us long.

Yes, they will. -Everybody, shut up! -Quiet!

OK, l want some men here to take the mattresses.

l want the men to form a line.

Quiet! Quiet!

Move it!

Sit down, quiet now. -Come on, take your seats.

Captain, sit down please. Come on, move!

Take your seat. Come on!

Everybody, stay where you are now.

And nobody talks.

Will you shut up?

- Ministry of Defense -

l have nothing more to say, gentlemen.

l told you, we just got their demands, l've nothing more to say.

Mr Zamir, has the government made a decision yet?

The government is holding an emergency session.

They need to be helped. -Only God can help them.

Oh, l see. Well, l guess we'll wait and see what happens to them.

This woman has an lsraeli passport and he has an American one.

He's American too.

Look, this is Lake Victoria. The airport is right off the shore.

Our problem is reaching the lake.

But no one asked us to do anything, don't you understand?

Why don't you ask them to ask us?

Dan, l want to talk to you.

What's the matter, Yoni? -What's going on?

Nothing, at the moment. -Can't you do anything?

We're trying, Yoni.

This whole issue is political.

We're ready, but we're not the ones calling the shots.

See this? Nobody came then, nobody will come now.

lf we don't look out for ourselves, no one will do it for us.

What do you want to do? Escape into the jungle?

This is Uganda.

Here's Entebbe. This is Lake Victoria and Kenya's here.

Then all we have to do is cross Lake Victoria.

l can't swim. -You always ruin everything.

l'm sure they'll help us in Kenya. -What if we get caught?

Then they'll bring us back here and our army will save us.

Good morning.

Well? -Nothing. -Nothing? What's going on?

l'll tell you what's going on.

Our government will never go for it. -Why not?

World opinion. -l don't give a shit about that.

Shuki, Uganda is not a small village of natives,

it's a sovereign state, you can't walk in with soldiers and arms.

Hold on, l have a suggestion for you.

Stop arguing and make a plan. -What plan?

To get these people back home.

This time we have the lsraelis by the balls.

Yes, what can they do?

ls everything OK? -Everything is OK.

Excuse me, may l ask you something? -Yes.

l don't understand what you're trying to achieve

by hijacking a plane and killing people.

lt's a dirty world. lt must be destroyed in order to be rebuilt.

Yes, but you, as a German, what do you want from lsrael?

They stole Palestine and used German money to do it.

A global revolution.

''The hostages spent another night in Entebbe,

''not knowing whether there is a solution to their crisis.

''The lsraeli government fears that the lsraeli hostages

''will be separated from the others.

''Foreign Minister Yigal Alon has been in constant contact

''with his French counterpart.

''lsrael holds the French government responsible for the well-being

''of all the hostages, regardless of nationality or religion.''

Gentlemen, please, be quiet! -They'll kill them all!

The government's not doing a damn thing!

Who needs that terrorist Okamoto here anyway?

He's getting fat on our taxpayers' money!

Why can't we see the Prime Minister?

Give me one reason.

Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me.

We know that the Prime Minister is doing his best

to release the hostages.

Your son's there, why don't you do anything?

Because l don't believe that shouting will get us anywhere.

Our Foreign Minister has been in contact with Kissinger,

the French, the German, everybody.

The French turned on us in the past, they'll do it again.

They'll get their own people out and leave ours stuck in Entebbe.

My husband was in the Nazi camps.

He said no country in the world ever lifted a finger to help.

No, we've been promised that the lsraelis won't be separated

from the others. lt's a promise, believe me.

Attention, everybody! Attention!

Now listen to me. There's a hole in that wall.

When your name is called, pick up your things,

and go through that opening into the next room, is that clear?

Excuse me, sir... -Only those whose names are called.

Quiet, quiet, nobody speaks!

Goldstein! -That's me.

Perhaps they're letting us go.

Excuse me, what am l supposed to do?

Just go through the opening.

What for? -All right, just get in there.

Yuravitz family!

Rappaport!

Tell me, please, are you letting us go?

Keep going. Come on.

Mr and Mrs Cohen!

Arnon.

Cohan, not Cohen. We're British, sir, we're British.

We're from Manchester. -We're not Jewish.

Cohan, Cohen, it's a Jewish name. They're lying, they're Jews.

Take them out.

Can we go together? -ls she your wife?

No. -Then go alone, you step back.

Ben-David.

Forman. -Monsieur, l would like an explanation for this action.

Go back and be glad your name won't be called.

l'm responsible for the lives of these passengers. All of them.

Why the separation?

We aren't going to take them anywhere.

My crew and l will join them.

Moshe and Dora Bloom.

Geffen.

Shamir. -l want to ask you something.

Mother, don't speak... -But l want...

Mr and Mrs Tzadok.

Doifman.

Greenberg. -Excuse me, we have American visa.

Go. -And Green Card...

Yakobson.

lda Borovitz!

We're in 1976, do you believe that?

They call themselves freedom fighters, Jesus Christ.

Nurit Aviv.

We'll pray for you. -Thank you.

Doctor, if you get out first,

let the world know what's going on here.

Quickly, darling.

Mommy wants you to have this.

Tell Mommy thank you very much.

Go back to Mommy.

Ben-Yehuda.

Shelach.

Efroni.

Ram Weissberg.

l'll be waiting for you in Paris. -Take care.

Naomi Tal.

Are they taking all the Jews?

l think they're only taking lsraelis.

Anyway, they won't mess with Americans.

Mommy, why didn't they call us?

Because we're not Jewish, darling.

What's Jewish, Mommy?

The Hercules can do the job, the problem is refueling.

Can't it be done in air? -Not with the Hercules.

But we could do it in Entebbe. l'd need at least 2 hours.

Two hours? Benny, we're talking about minutes.

What are you going to do with these people?

lt's not up to us. -What do you mean?

lf within 24 hours the lsraelis do not agree to our demands,

we'll start killing them. Get out of here.

We must speak with the Prime Minister!

He must understand our situation.

Rabin! My mother is a hostage!

This operation you did will make the Jews go mad all over the world

and when the Jews get mad, the whole world is mad!

All of the people that will turn against us,

l must talk to them now. Guards, inside! You, inside!

You haven't even listened to me. -No, this is Uganda here,

l am president, it is my country,

l say l'll talk to them now! -But we have to... -Leave it.

Trust me.

l'm a big friend of you. -Mr President...

Excuse me, madam, allow me to correct you.

l am His Excellency, Field Marshall Dr ldi Amin Dada.

Owner of the British Cross, DSO, MC,

and appointed by God Almighty to be your savior.

Yes, Your Excellency.

Why weren't we released like the others?

That is not up to me.

That depends on your government.

Look, l want to save you.

But they must not be stubborn, they must be reasonable,

they must release all these 43 freedom fighters

from the lsraeli jails.

l mean...

You are more than 100 here. That is good business, no?

But if those terrorists are going to be released,

they will kill more innocent people.

That is not up to me. -But we're in Uganda,

this is your country, not theirs.

l am sorry, l want to help you,

but it is up to my very good friend, General Rabin.

And now, Shalom!

Things are getting more complicated.

Our friend, Dr ldi Amin Dada,

is cooperating with the terrorists.

Then that justifies an attack, doesn't it?

No more problems with world opinion and such.

Yes, but l want you to know that l've been given orders

to plan a large-scale operation, not only with your unit.

Hold on, l don't understand.

Do you want to capture all of Entebbe? -Just about.

What for? -What's wrong, Yoni?

l think that...

with a large-scale operation we'll lose the element of surprise.

There could be many casualties, among the hostages and our men.

''The government is under heavy pressure, as world opinion

''demands from lsrael to start negotiating with the terrorists

''in order to avoid a disaster.

''104 lsraeli men, women and children remain hostages in Entebbe

''as well as the French air crew.

''Families of the hostages demonstrated today

''outside the Prime Minister's office,

''demanding an immediate surrender to the terrorists demands

''in order to save their loved ones.

''The hijackers refuse to postpone the deadline.

''lf lsrael does not consent to the immediate release

''of 43 of their men that are being held in lsraeli jails,

''including murderer Kozo Okamoto

and arms smuggler Archbishop Capucci.

''They threaten to start killing the hostages tomorrow afternoon.''

Hello. Avner Tal.

Prof. Tal is here. You may go in.

Tal is on his way.

Avner, good to see you. -Hello. -What brings you here?

Naomi is in Entebbe.

Naomi, your daughter? -Yes.

l saw the name on the list, l didn't realize it was her.

Look, Dan, l never got involved in politics,

l never interfered in decision-making,

but this time it's different. l must see Yitzhak personally,

if only for my conscience's sake.

l must know the government is doing everything possible

to save the hostages in Entebbe.

l'm sure the Prime Minister is doing his utmost.

l must speak with him.

l'll see what l can do.

Yitzhak, l know that no other lsraeli prime minister

has ever faced such crucial decisions.

You know me, l've been involved in the country's security

for over 40 years, but when we're personally affected,

we react differently altogether.

So forgive me for what l'm about to say.

Yitzhak, do not play roulette with the lives of our children.

Do not play roulette with the lives of our children...

Do not play roulette with the lives of our children...

What's the word, Rogman?

They've been in there for two hours already.

l tell you, if these Jews give in, we've all had it.

There'll be an international epidemic of skyjacking.

What else can they do? ln less than an hour

they're going to start killing those people, one by one.

The lsraeli government has decided to commence negotiation

for the release of the hostages in Entebbe.

Could we have a translation in English, Mr Zamir? -Later.

The lsraeli government has decided to commence negotiation

for the release of the hostages in Entebbe.

They've agreed in principle to release prisoners held in lsrael.

ln English, please.

The government has decided to commence negotiation

for the release of the hostages being held in Entebbe.

We've agreed in principle to release prisoners held in lsrael.

Questions, please. -Mr Zamir,

was that a unanimous decision by the government? -Yes.

More questions?

The government has been forced to give in to the terrorists.

The Defense Minister has asked us to immediately prepare

a convincing military rescue operation.

How long do we have left? -The deadline is for Sunday.

We must take action on Saturday night. -That means we have...

two days left.

What do you think, Yoni?

We still have 48 hours left.

No good. -They're the fastest we've got.

lt's not a matter of speed, it's a matter of surprise.

We must reach the terminal without being noticed.

Then let's hire some black men,

load them on some Land Rovers, and go!

You know what?

Forget about the black men, but l like the Land Rover idea.

Then l've got another idea for you.

No good. Let's do it again.

OK, guys, let's do it again.

Again, back to your places.

Everybody, go back. -Come on, let's go.

How's it going?

lt's not good enough, but it will be.

l'm counting on you.

Let's go.

OK, let's do it again.

Can l have more meat?

l thank you.

Don't eat the meat. -lt's not bad.

lt's horsemeat. -How do you know?

First time they've given us knives.

What are you doing? They all have knives!

Why were these people given knives?

Wilfred, did you do this?

Who gave them the knives?

Everybody has knives.

Who gave them knives? You must be all mad!

They could kill us. Come on!

Come on, collect the knives! Come on, quick!

Come on, quickly. The knives...

One's missing! l said, a knife is missing!

Give me the knife!

Wilfred!

Put your hands up, up on your heads!

Come on, search them.

Get up, stand up here!

Turn around! Turn around!

Sit down! Get up!

Are you the one who had this knife?

What would you want to do with that? Kill us?

OK, you're not going to answer me, get out of here!

Get out of here! Move! Get out!

Get out! Get out of here! Get out!

She's choking, get her some water.

Quickly. -She's choking. She can't drink it, she can't!

Take her to the restroom, quickly!

Come, mother. -Lean on me.

Captain, this woman is sick. -What's wrong, madam?

Michelle, Danielle, come help me, quickly.

She's choking.

ls there a doctor among you? -She's feeling very poorly.

What's your rank and regiment? -What?

What is your rank and regiment?

l'm not a soldier, l never was.

Call your chief!

Call your chief! -All right! You just stay here.

What is that? -They're my friends.

They just finished high school.

But is this you on the tank or isn't it?

Yes, it is. -But you're not a soldier. -No.

Yes.

What is it? -There's trouble.

Tell me your rank and regiment!

l said, tell me your rank and regiment! Do you hear me?

Stop it. We're freedom fighters.

ls there no doctor here? -What do you want?

The old woman is sick, she's dying.

l'll see what l can do. -The old woman is sick!

Sir, l'm warning you, it's your duty to look after this woman,

do something, 5 minutes from now will be too late. -Shut up!

The entire world will blame you!

Murderer.

l'll be right back.

Go get a doctor, quickly.

Hold her head. -Quickly.

Stop! Go back! -But she's my mother!

Good evening. -Good evening, Your Excellency.

Good evening. -Good evening.

l want to show you this. Look, look.

How do you like this, my new car? -Magnificent.

l had enough of my old shitty Mercedes.

Get out faster.

Ready?

Go! Go! Go!

We can do it much better! Again.

Go.

No good, no good. We can do much better. Again.

This is the old terminal in Entebbe.

There are two waiting rooms: a large one and a small one.

After the separation, the lsraelis were moved to the small one,

but we're sure they were moved back to the large one

where the restrooms are located.

As for the terrorists, there are about ten of them.

We'll start with the German.

Medium height, about 40 years old, blonde.

We'll finish tomorrow? -God knows...

Those sons of bitches.

ls there any word from lsrael? -They're taking their time.

Kill a few and you'll hear them talk.

Team number one. Yoav, here.

You'll go upstairs and cover the second floor.

This is where the Ugandan guards are.

Teams two and three, Shuki and Meir, here and here.

You break in through the main entrance.

Shuki to the left, Meir to the right. The hostages are here.

They're guarded by terrorists. Team number four.

Zevik, VlP room. The terrorists sleep here.

Team number five. Shmulik, here.

The four jeeps that arrive later in planes two and three

will take position here, here, here and here,

around the terminal. l'll be here.

What do you think? -l know it can be done.

But l'll also understand if they decide not to authorize it.

What do you think? -l'd find it hard to live

with the idea that we gave into a dirty bunch of terrorists.

Let's go.

lt's good.

Now, between us,

what are the chances?

lf we don't do anything, we definitely won't fail.

Dan, it'll work.

- Ministry of Defense -

Minister, as you can see,

the whole thing is based on the element of surprise.

That's it.

Minister, we will hold a dry run this evening.

Your plan is good.

lt may be bold and dangerous, but it is certainly possible.

l will endorse it before the government.

Mr Peres, do you think the government will authorize the plan?

l'm sure it will.

''Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe

''who has commanded us to kindle the light of the Sabbath''

Amen.

Usually we say a blessing over the Sabbath candles,

but since we don't have any, he's using matches.

What time is it? -Two-thirty.

Let's go get some sleep. -OK.

Are you coming? -Go on, l'll be right there.

Yoni...

l want to go home for a few hours, OK? -Yes.

l hope they don't reject it. -Me too.

What about Peres? ls he here yet?

He's with the Prime Minister. Sit. -And the other ministers?

They're all waiting in the conference room.

Bring us some coffee, please.

A lot.

What are you up to?

l'm going to snoop around the Prime Minister's office.

Relax, nothing is going to happen. All they do today is pray.

Tomorrow morning is the deadline. -You know what l think?

l think Rabin is going to let those 43 prisoners go,

and that will be the end of that.

''As You have written for us in Your Torah, through Moses,

''Your servant, from Your glorious expression, as is said:

''On the Sabbath, on the Sabbath, on the Sabbath day...

l'll go give Peled a call, you load up in the meantime,

so that if we get the OK, we'll be ready to go.

OK. -Huh? -Fine.

Bring us good news. -l'll try.

Come on, guys, let's start loading.

Hello, Benny?

This is Shomron. What's going on up there?

We're going crazy down here.

We're all waiting, Dan. You think l don't know?

Can't you hurry things up? -Hold on.

What if they leave now? -What do you mean, now?

We'll send them up.

We'll have at least 3 hours to bring them back if needed.

Not a bad idea. First l have to ask Motta and Shimon.

Dan, wait by the phone, l'll call you back.

Good luck.

Hello. Speak louder, l can't hear you.

Yes, Shomron. Got it, Benny. Take-off authorized.

What about the mission? -They'll notify us on the way.

OK, let's go.

l know you don't like patriotic speeches,

but l'll say a few words, just the same.

We're going on a mission thousands of kilometers away

to rescue lsraelis, just because they are lsraelis and Jews.

Because if we don't do it, no one else will do it for us.

lt's a long and complicated mission

and l want to emphasize that its success or failure

depends only on us.

l believe we'll succeed and bring these people home safely.

Good luck.

l bet they'll cancel it. -No chance.

You know what?

lf we don't get to Entebbe,

you treat me to a movie tomorrow. Done? -OK.

Where are we? -What?

Where are we? -Egypt. Down there, on the right.

What's holding up the final decision?

They need a lot of guts to make it.

Yes? Well done.

Sir, the mission has been authorized. -Yes!

Number one, l read you.

We got the ''red carpet''.

Shomron! -Yeah? -We got the ''red carpet''.

Yoni, it's been authorized.

You owe me a movie.

Boaz, Boaz!

Hello. Wait, l'll tell you, don't hang up!

Yes, Dr Haddad.

Hello.

Hello, Yasser. What do you think? Should we wait till Sunday?

l understand, my brother. Thank you, my brother.

Listen, Jabbar, wait one more day,

then kill two every hour. Got that, my brother?

Yes, Dr Haddad.

What is this?

Well? What did Dr Haddad say? -No more postponements.

lf the lsraelis don't start to release our people

by midday tomorrow, we have to kill the first two hostages.

Why don't we pick them now? -You can start with that tomorrow.

What are you reading? -Alistair Maclean.

He could write an amazing book about this mission.

lt isn't big enough for him.

Compared to his heroes, this is kids' stuff.

You know what?

l have a feeling that if the mission is a success,

as soon as we land back in lsrael,

people will start fighting to take the credit.

''Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan.''

l didn't make it up, it was a very clever man. Kennedy.

Where are they? -Nearly over the sea.

That's more than half way.

l hope they aren't spotted by radar.

What's wrong with him? -He's normal, he's afraid.

What? Where is... -What's wrong?

Nothing. l was dreaming.

''There are 13 hours left.

''The world is facing another massacre,

''like the one at the Munich Olympics.

''Starting from noon, the terrorists will kill

''two hostages every hour.

''Tomorrow morning, the government will convene for a special meeting

''to make a decision that will determine the hostages' fate.

''Official sources say that by tomorrow noon,

''lsrael will be forced to give in and release

''terrorists and murderers for the first time in lsraeli history.''

One hour to go. -Wake up, guys, get your gear, one hour to go.

OK?

Yoni, what if we get there

and the hostages aren't in the old terminal?

Then we've made a trip to Africa. -Free of charge...

Yoni, do you think the Migs can intercept us?

lt's very unlikely,

but if it does happen, it'll be a very unpleasant encounter.

How about you? OK?

There's a storm over Lake Victoria.

How bad is it?

What's going on? -lt's what we call a storm.

Number one lands in five minutes.

Where's the storm? -lt just disappeared.

What's up? -Five minutes.

Attention, five minutes!

Five minutes, guys.

lf intelligence is right, the runway should be lit.

There it is.

God must be working overtime tonight.

Who is this? The President?

lmpossible. He has a Rolls Royce now.

Watch out!

No, don't do it!

Grenade.

They're here. -Get down, Rami.

Everybody down!

Other side.

Everything's OK, stay here, don't move! -Don't kill us.

Amir, to the restrooms!

Rami... -They're lsraeli!

Everybody down. Amir...

lsraeli soldiers? How did they get here?

They're shooting everywhere, what shall l do?

Cut the lights, you idiot! Cut the runway lights!

Grenade!

Grenade!

What's going on? -There was a problem.

l have two wounded. -Badly?

l want to get them out now.

Take it easy, we'll get them out soon.

Grenade!

Number one, what's going on on the second floor?

There are lots of Ugandans here.

Shoot only if shot at. l repeat, shoot only if shot at.

Number one, do you read me? Number one, do you read me?

Yes, Dan?

Yoni, how's it going? -Looking good.

Good, l'll be right there. -OK, l'm going in. -OK.

Hayim to Shuki, over. -l read you.

Yoni's been hit, l repeat, Yoni's been hit.

l see. Notify all units that l'm taking command.

All units, all units, Shuki is taking command.

How did it happen? -He was shot from the tower. -How is he?

l can't tell yet.

Benny, hit the tower, you hear me?

Where's Shuki? -Over here. -Go get him.

Rami... -Efrayim, Efrayim, come.

Shuki, how's it going here? -We have some casualties. -A lot?

lt could be worse. -We'll start clearing out right away.

Quiet! -Quiet, keep quiet.

Ladies and gentlemen, we came to take you home.

Gather your belongings and move quietly to the plane

that is waiting for you outside.

Those who can walk, will do so on their own.

Soldiers will help the wounded.

Stay calm and don't panic. -This man is wounded.

There's a stretcher here.

Keep moving, don't stop. Make way for the wounded.

Make way for the wounded.

Are you the commanding officer? -Yes, l am.

What about my mother? -Same as everyone else.

But she's not here. -What happened?

They took her to the hospital in Kampala. -What's her name?

Dvora Bloom. -Dvora Bloom...

Everyone onto the planes, quickly.

Those who can walk, go straight to the plane!

Hold the gate open. This way. Help the wounded.

Up. Straight. Don't panic.

Straight ahead.

Let's go. This way, this way, ma'am.

Everyone onto the planes.

lf you're done, get on the vehicle and we're out of here.

Get me Dan on the radio. -Udi, this is Dan, over.

How's it going? -The main hall is clear.

We're sending the people to the plane, over.

Back home they're asking about the casualties.

First count: three dead hostages and five wounded.

Among our men: four wounded, including Yoni.

Benny, l'm having problems refueling,

it'll take a long time, what should we do?

Don't wait, refuel in Nairobi.

After you get back to lsrael, are you still going to America?

No way, pal.

Once we get back, we'll reopen the restaurant and that's it.

You know what's waiting for me at home?

At worst, you'll get divorced and marry me.

ln case you didn't notice, flight 139 is back on route.

lsrael is a miraculous country. -lt really is a miracle.

Cheers.

Doctor.

''Blessed is the judge of truth.''

Yoni's dead.

''David, King of lsrael, lives forever!''

Dr. Weissberg.

The End

English: Suzy De Lowe

Subtitles: Cinematyp Ltd.