Immigration to Israel rising again after drop caused by Oct. 7 Hamas attack

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The Israeli government is reporting a surge in the number of new immigrants moving to Israel despite the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. According to Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Israel saw 3,074 new immigrants arrive in March alone.

This increase in immigration to Israel is a notable contrast to the drop that Israel experienced following the Hamas slaughter last October when only 781 new immigrants landed in Israel, according to Ynet News.

In 2022, Israel saw a huge wave of immigration, with a reported total of 74,714 immigrants, largely due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

While these numbers had already decreased in 2023 before the start of Israel's conflict with Hamas, the Oct. 7 attack caused a notable initial drop in the number of new immigrants. From January to November 2023, a total of 44,372 people immigrated to Israel.

Yet now, as many Jews feel an increased sense of solidarity with the State of Israel, and are noticing a rise in anti-Israel sentiments abroad, some are choosing to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel) with their families amid the war.

While the majority of these new arrivals originated from Russia, about 900 came from the United States.

In an interview with Ha’aretz in January, a high-level executive at Nefesh B’Nefesh – a prominent organization that assists Jews in becoming citizens of Israel – predicted that the “intensified Zionism and identification with Israel” following the attack will ultimately “spur a new wave of Aliyah in the near future,” and that he expects 2024 to be “a record year for North American Aliyah!”

Despite the initial decrease in new immigrants, the Jewish News Syndicate reported in February that the overall effect of the war has been to increase the desire of Jews in several Western nations to immigrate to Israel.

“Since the start of the war, there has been a 300% increase in aliyah applications from France, a 150% jump from Canada, a 100% rise from the United States and a 40% increase from the United Kingdom.”

As Israel prepares for a Rafah incursion, and because many suspect the Israeli military will shift its attention to Hezbollah in Lebanon after its operation in Gaza, it is unclear whether current immigration trends will continue.