Nearly half a million people depart Israel amid Gaza war: Report

JERUSALEM (AA) – Nearly half a million Israelis have left the country since the launch of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, according to a local newspaper.

The Population and Immigration Authority estimates that 370,000 people left Israel in the past two months, including 230,309 in October and 139,839 in November, Zman magazine said.

According to the magazine, approximately 600,000 Israelis traveled abroad for vacation before the outbreak of the Gaza war, while nearly 370,000 others departed after October 7.

Nearly 301,982 Israelis returned to Israel in October and 194,016 in November.

“The figures show that the number of Israelis who left and did not return is estimated at around 470,000,” Zman said.

“Therefore, there is a negative migration of about half a million people, and this does not include thousands of foreign workers, refugees, and diplomats who left the country,” it added.

– Reduced immigration –

The Israeli magazine also acknowledged that the Gaza war has significantly reduced immigration to Israel.

According to data released by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, approximately 2,000 people immigrated to Israel between October 7 and November 29.

“This is equal to nearly 1,000 immigrants per month, compared to around 4,500 per month on average since the start of this year until the outbreak of the war, reflecting a decrease of more than 70%,” the newspaper said.

In the first weeks of the Gaza war, immigration to Israel nearly ceased, with only 1,096 immigrants arriving in Israel in October, Zman said.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip last Friday with brute-force, after the end of a weeklong suspension. It has killed at least 16,248 Palestinians and injured more than 43,616 others in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since October 7 following an attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.