'Operation Thunderbolt': 50 years to the heroic raid on Entebbe

'Operation Thunderbolt': 50 years to the heroic raid on Entebbe

Author: The Times of Israel June 27, 2026 Duration: 57:53

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

This week, Borschel-Dan starts the episode with important news: She finally finished "My Name Is Barbra," Barbra Streisand's much-discussed 900+-page autobiography.

Turning to the main event: Fifty years since the daring IDF rescue of over 100 hostages from Entebbe, Uganda, we dedicated this week's The Reel Schmooze to two movies, the 1977 feature film "Operation Thunderbolt" and the 2012 documentary, "Live or Die in Entebbe."

Shot with the help of the Israeli government only a year after the raid, "Operation Thunderbolt" presents a fictionalized account grounded in the realism of documentary footage of Israeli leaders, including then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and defense minister Shimon Peres.

Directed and co-written by Menachem Golan, it stars Israeli actor/singer Yehoram Gaon, who plays the head of the sayeret matkal unit, Yoni Netanyahu (the brother of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu). We hear about other key performances from Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning playing the villainous German terrorists, as well as appearances from notable Israeli actors.

In the final segment of the program, we hear about a documentary that focuses on the family of one of the fallen hostages, Jean-Jacques Mimouni, a 19-year-old French-Israeli.

Let's hear who gave these two films an "oy," "meh" or the prized "not bad" this week on The Reel Schmooze.

The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: A cheering crowd at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport raises a member of the rescue squad which freed the hijack hostages from Uganda earlier in the day, July 4, 1976. In the background is the C-130 transport plane which took part in the raid. The rescuer's face is obscured for security reasons. (AP Photo/Pool)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Each morning, The Times of Israel Daily Briefing cuts through the noise to deliver essential context on the stories shaping Israel and the wider region. Produced by the seasoned journalists of The Times of Israel, this podcast provides more than just headlines; it offers grounded analysis and on-the-ground perspective that listeners won't find in a standard news bulletin. You'll hear directly from reporters and editors who live the story, discussing the political, security, and social developments that matter most. The conversation naturally extends to the broader Middle East and issues affecting Jewish communities worldwide, making sense of complex events with clarity and depth. Tune in for a concise, authoritative briefing that respects your time and intelligence, turning the day's most pressing news into understandable narrative. This is where informed listening begins, a trusted audio resource for anyone seeking a reliable, nuanced understanding of a dynamic and often misunderstood part of the world.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
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