'Would you say Yoni came back from Entebbe?': Slain hostage's cousin slams Netanyahu at protest

At a rally in Tel Aviv, Gil Dickmann, cousin of slain hostage Carmel Gat, directly challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion that "all abductees who were in the war" had been returned. Dickmann invoked the memory of Netanyahu's brother, Lt.-Col. Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, who died 50 years prior during the Entebbe Operation to rescue hostages.

"Exactly 50 years ago today, your brother Yoni Netanyahu, the late, set out to free abductees in Entebbe and was killed there. Would you also say about Yoni that he returned from Entebbe?" Dickmann asked the prime minister during his speech. He starkly contrasted Yoni's sacrifice with Benjamin's actions, stating, "Yoni gave his life to save abductees. Benjamin gave the lives of the abductees to save himself."

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Exactly 50 years ago today, your brother Yoni Netanyahu, the late, set out to free abductees in Entebbe and was killed there. Would you also say about Yoni that he returned from Entebbe?

The rally demanded the establishment of a state investigation committee to examine government failures leading to the October 7 Massacre. Dickmann also reiterated previous accusations that officials had threatened hostage families to silence their criticism. He claimed that "very senior people in Israel" had manipulated and intimidated families, aiming to "silence us, intimidate us, and give the government full credit to continue the war indefinitely and abandon the hostages in Gaza until they are forgotten."

The Entebbe Operation, also known as "Operation Thunderbolt," occurred in 1976 when Israeli forces, led by Yoni Netanyahu, rescued 102 of 106 hostages taken by terrorists on an Air France flight diverted to Uganda. Yoni Netanyahu and four hostages were killed during the successful operation.

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Yoni gave his life to save abductees. Benjamin gave the lives of the abductees to save himself.