Former President Shimon Peres, who served as Defense Minister during Operation Entebbe in 1976, will hold an event next Monday (27/06) honoring the 40th anniversary of the famed operation. The children rescued in the operation - whose ages ranged from 5 to 13 at the time--will speak for the first time about their experiences during the hostage situation on Air France flight 139 to Paris.
The "children" who will speak are: Shai, who celebrated his sixth birthday in captivity and named his son Yoni in honor of Yoni Netanyahu (the commander of the rescue operation); Benny, who was on his way to a family vacation to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah; Tzipi, who, at 8 years old, returned home without a father after he was killed during the rescue; Dana and Anat, two sisters who were six and ten and will talk about their daily routine during their week in captivity and the games they played with the other children; and Ella, who was only five and a half when she was abducted.
On the occasion of the anniversary, Peres has chosen to focus the event on the children, many of whom have never told their story of captivity, and to highlight their bravery during the abduction and week-long captivity with their families in Entebbe. He will be joined by Ms. Dalia Rabin, the daughter of Yitzhak Rabin, who was then Prime Minister, and in addition to hearing the stories, they will view an exhibition of personal items prepared by the children of Entebbe.
The family and friends of the children of Entebbe are invited to the event, some of whom will also hear the full story from the mouths of their loved ones for the first time.