According to Michal Harel, who moved to Toronto in 2019, the “phone began ringing” almost immediately after October 7 with other Israelis wanting advice about moving to Canada.
With thousands of Israelis leaving the country after the October 7 resistance operation last year, it is possible that 2024 “ends with more Israelis leaving the country than coming in,” the UK’s Independent newspaper has reported.
The paper cites Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics estimation that in September a total of “40,600 Israelis departed long-term over the first seven months of 2024, a 59% increase over the same period a year earlier, when 25,500 people left.”
According to CBS, monthly, 2,200 more people departed this year than in 2023, the report continued.
It also cited Sergio Della Pergola, a statistician and professor emeritus of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, as saying that according to migration experts, it was possible that people leaving Israel would surpass the number of immigrants to the country in 2024.
Stalling their Return
Gil Fire, deputy director of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, told the paper that some of its top specialists with fellowship postings in other countries for a few years have begun to stall their return to Israel.
“Before the war, they always came back and it was not really considered an option to stay. And during the war we started to see a change,” Fire reportedly said.
He added: “They said to us, ‘We will stay another year, maybe two years, maybe more.’”
10,000 Israelis Emigrated to Canada in 2024 – Figures Rise Five-Fold since 2023
The report said that the events of October 7 have “shattered any sense of safety.”
According to Michal Harel, who moved to Toronto in 2019, the “phone began ringing” almost immediately after October 7 with other Israelis wanting advice about moving to Canada.
‘Brain Drain’
Last October, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the first seven months of the year witnessed the emigration of 40,000 Israelis, equivalent to three times the emigration rates before the war.
“The Israelis flee abroad. In the first seven months of the year, their number reached 40,600. In addition, each month this year there were an average of 2,200 more compared to the average in 2023,” the report said.
Moreover, nearly one million Israelis have obtained foreign passports in recent years as an insurance policy in the event of a comprehensive war, the report added, noting that “the magic of Israel has expired in the eyes of some of the elites of the West.”
The real numbers are almost certainly multiples higher. As experts have explained, many “Israelis” who have left continue to maintain legal residency there so as not to lose social benefits https://t.co/F1zBggL45D pic.twitter.com/epEyC8zkIl
— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) October 13, 2024
Regarding financial transfers abroad, the newspaper reported that Israelis transferred $7 billion abroad in deposits during the first seven months.
The newspaper also described this as a “brain drain”, as the emigrants included doctors, scientists, pharmacists and high-tech experts who left after being presented with attractive offers to work for foreign companies.
“Among the long-term emigrants aged 20-90, approximately 54% have an education of 13 years or more, compared to 44% who have a similar education among the entire Israeli population,” according to Maariv.
‘50% Decease’ – Jewish Immigration to Israel Significantly Declined since October 7
Ongoing Genocide
Meanwhile, the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip continued with the death toll among starved and besieged Palestinian civilians rising daily.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
A Palestinian father devastated by the loss of his son in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/OM3HODR7Yj
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 20, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 45,206 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 107,512 wounded.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. However, Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern region.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
