Overview
- The Israel State Archives released the cache Friday, June 26, 2026, making public thousands of pages of Security Cabinet protocols, Prime Minister’s Office files, foreign‑ministry correspondence, photos and audio recordings tied to the 1976 Entebbe crisis.
- The collection includes 26 recorded phone calls by Eli Mizrahi and transcripts of five calls between Colonel Baruch Bar‑Lev and Ugandan leader Idi Amin, providing new evidence of direct diplomatic outreach during the six‑day hostage standoff.
- Cabinet meeting protocols and memos show Israeli leaders moved from a public no‑negotiation stance to privately opening talks with France and Uganda while simultaneously drafting plans and blueprints for a long‑range military rescue.
- The files confirm the operation’s outcome: IDF commandos raided Entebbe on July 4, 1976, freeing most hostages and killing the hijackers and several Ugandan soldiers while Lieutenant‑Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu was killed in the fighting.
- Beyond operational detail, the archive adds context on earlier Israeli‑Ugandan ties involving Bar‑Lev, records global diplomatic exchanges including UN discussion, and renews debate about hostage policy and how states weigh talks versus force.