Israel sees sharpest emigration in decades as Gaza war fuels exodus

By Jomaa Younis and Tarek Chouiref

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JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) – Israel is witnessing one of the most significant waves of emigration in its history, with the war on Gaza pushing tens of thousands of citizens to leave over the past year, a prominent Israeli demographer warned Thursday.

Sergio DellaPergola told Israel’s Maariv daily that 2024 marked only the fourth time in a century that the country has recorded negative migration, as more people departed than arrived.

“Decades have passed since we last saw this trend,” he said, recalling previous episodes in the 1920s, early 1950s and early 1980s.

“This year, tens of thousands left the country because of the war.”

Figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed that nearly 79,000 people emigrated from Israel in 2024, while only 56,000 arrived, leaving a net loss of about 23,000.

DellaPergola highlighted what he called a “striking phenomenon.” He said almost half of those who left were not recognized as Jewish by Israel’s rabbinate, even though they qualified for residency under the Law of Return. Many had moved to Israel following Russia’s war with Ukraine but “found neither safety nor economic stability and decided to return home or seek a third country,” he said.

The bureau’s report also put Israel’s population at around 10.1 million, including 7.76 million Jews, 2.13 million Arabs and about 260,000 foreign residents. The count incorporates some 400,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and annexed in 1980, a move not recognized by the UN.

Analysts say the figures reflect a deeper trend: Israel, once a magnet for immigration, is becoming a place people increasingly leave behind, amid economic strain, political turmoil and the grinding war on Gaza alongside ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 65,100 Palestinians since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and forced the population into famine.

On Tuesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory confirmed that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.