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Rescued at Entebbe 50 years ago, former child hostage feels her experience resonating today
🇵🇸 Palestine /Conflict & Security

Rescued at Entebbe 50 years ago, former child hostage feels her experience resonating today

From Times of Israel · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • A former child hostage from the 1976 Entebbe hijacking is campaigning for the return of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas.
  • Ella Rosenkovitch, who was five during the hijacking, recalls vivid memories of the week-long ordeal.
  • Her experience motivates her to advocate for those currently held captive, drawing parallels between the past and present.

Fifty years after surviving the hijacking of Air France Flight 139, Ella Rosenkovitch finds her past trauma fueling present-day advocacy. In 1976, Rosenkovitch, then just five and a half years old, was among the hostages taken by terrorists to Entebbe, Uganda. Today, the 55-year-old Jerusalem resident is channeling those vivid memories into a campaign for the release of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

I was a small child at the time, and there are a lot of details that I only learned years later. But I remember the most fateful moments very well.

— Ella RosenkovitchRosenkovitch reflects on the lasting impact of the Entebbe hijacking on her memory.

Rosenkovitch remembers the chaos of the hijacking, when terrorists diverted the flight from Paris to Entebbe. She recalls being separated from her parents and brother, and the fear she felt as a child unable to comprehend the situation. Her mother's attempt at a dark joke upon landing in Africa – "Kids, we've landed in Africa. I've always wanted to visit Africa" – remains a poignant memory.

I remember that I didn’t understand what was happening, so I asked my brother. He said he didn’t know, but I still remember the terrified look on his face.

— Ella RosenkovitchShe describes her childhood confusion and fear during the initial moments of the hijacking.

During the week spent as hostages in a cavernous airport terminal, an uneasy routine developed. The hostages endured negotiations for the release of 53 pro-Palestinian terrorists in exchange for their freedom. Rosenkovitch remembers the daily meals, including "the biggest bananas I'd ever seen," and the constant uncertainty of their fate.

She said, ‘Kids, we’ve landed in Africa. I’ve always wanted to visit Africa,'

— Ella RosenkovitchRecounting her mother's attempt at humor upon landing in Entebbe.

Now, Rosenkovitch sees a powerful resonance between her childhood experience and the current crisis. Her firsthand knowledge of the fear and suffering of hostages compels her to speak out, urging for the return of those still held captive. The historical parallels underscore the enduring human cost of such acts of terror.

If their demands were not met within three days, they said, they would start killing hostages.

— HijackersThe terrorists' ultimatum to the authorities during the hostage crisis.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of Israel. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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