Air France Flight 139 took off from Tel Aviv, Israel, and made a scheduled stop in Athens, Greece, on its way to Paris, France. On June 27, 1976, while over the Mediterranean Sea, the aircraft was hijacked by four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations (PFLP) in conjunction with the German Revolutionary Cells. The hijackers seized control of the plane, which was carrying 248 passengers and crew members, and diverted it to Entebbe, Uganda, where they landed at Entebbe International Airport.

Once on the ground, the hijackers demanded the release of 40 Palestinians held in Israel and elsewhere, threatening to kill hostages if their demands were not met. The Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, supported the hijackers and offered them protection. The situation quickly became an international crisis, leading various governments, including France and Israel, to weigh options for negotiation or military intervention. The hostages were initially held in a makeshift terminal, and their conditions varied from day to day.

The standoff lasted for several days, with negotiations ongoing and increasing pressure from world governments to resolve the crisis. In response, a rescue operation, code-named Operation Entebbe or Operation Thunderbolt, was planned by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The operation culminated in a daring raid on July 4, where Israeli commandos stormed the airport, successfully rescuing 102 hostages while killing three hijackers and a soldier. The event marked a significant moment in counter-terrorism tactics and international response to hijacking.