Israel has brought in 240 immigrants from the Bnei Menashe community in India as part of a government plan to relocate around 6,000 members of the group by 2030 to support their long-term integration into Israeli society, according to The Jerusalem Post
The immigrants arrived Thursday at the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, where they were officially received.
The Post added that the group is the first in a series of expected arrivals in the coming weeks, with around 600 immigrants set to arrive in three batches.
There was no official statement from Indian authorities on the Israeli report.
The broader initiative aims to relocate remaining members of the Bnei Menashe community living in India’s northeastern states of Mizoram and Manipur.
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Under the plan, around 1,200 additional immigrants are expected to arrive by the end of 2026, with the full relocation of approximately 6,000 people projected by 2030.
The operation follows a government decision approved in November under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aimed at family reunification and facilitating the community’s integration into Israeli society.
The development comes amid a rise in what Israeli data describe as “reverse migration,” with about 82,000 Israelis leaving the country in 2024 and more than 69,000 departing in 2025 amid the ongoing war.
Since October 2023, Israel’s war against the Gaza Strip has left more than 72,000 Palestinians dead and over 172,000 injured, along with widespread destruction affecting 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.
Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has brought millions of immigrants from around the world to settle in Palestine.
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