3 months ago
145
January 3, 2025 | 11:21 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - More than 82,000 Israelis left the country in 2024 as the government pressed ahead with its brutal war on Gaza, official data revealed on Tuesday, according to Israeli outlet Ynet News.
The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics said that 82,700 people left Israel in 2024, while 23,800 returned to the country.
The bureau did not specify the reason for the departure of the Israelis, but previous Israeli media reports attributed it to rocket fire from Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and Yemen.
In September, the bureau disclosed partial information that 40,600 Israelis had left long-term in just seven months—a staggering 59 percent rise compared to the same period in 2023, when 25,500 departed.
There is a growing trend of Israel’s elite—often highly skilled doctors and professionals—leaving the state as they increasingly believe they have no future in the country.
Last month, Avi Steinberg, an Israeli-born author, said that he had formally renounced his Israeli citizenship, claiming it to have “always been a tool of genocide” that legitimized settler colonialism.
The author was born in Jerusalem to American parents and raised in an Orthodox setting. In 1993, his family moved back to the United States, where his father got a job as a director at Harvard University.
Steinberg cited a number of laws passed following Israel's founding that legitimized colonialism and discrimination against Palestinians, including the 1948 Declaration of Independence, the Law of Return in 1950, and the 1952 Citizenship Law.
Growing disillusionment with Israel
One of the countries Israelis have been heading to is Germany, where 18,448 Israelis are seeking German citizenship in the first nine months of 2024, according to Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior.
The sharp rise in departures further underscores growing disillusionment with Israel, as its devastating war on Gaza and internal Israeli political crises drive many to seek stability abroad.
As of 2024, Israel's population stood at 10.027 million, including 7.7 million Jews, 2.1 million Arabs, and 216,000 foreigners. However, population growth slowed sharply to 1.1 percent—down from 1.6 percent the previous year.
Meanwhile, a damning Palestinian report published on Tuesday confirmed that Gaza’s population had plummeted by 6 percent by the end of 2024, a direct consequence of Israel’s ongoing brutal assault on the Strip.
The population of Gaza had fallen to 2.1 million, the PCBS said in its end-of-year report.
The relentless assault continues in defiance of a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is also facing genocide charges at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the besieged enclave.
MIDDLE EAST EYE | ANADOLU
Editor’s Choice: Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Resigns From Politics
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Palestinian Authority Suspends Broadcast of Qatar's Al Jazeera TV Temporarily
3 jam lalu
The Palestinian Authority temporarily halted operations of Qatar's Al Jazeera television in the territory including its broadcasts.
Gaza Population Down by 6% Since Start of War, Says Palestinian Statistics Bureau
19 jam lalu
The population of Gaza has fallen 6% since the war with Israel began nearly 15 months ago, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Resigns From Politics
1 hari lalu
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday he was resigning from parliament.
Immigrants in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt Advised to Stay Home at Night After Christmas Market Attack
1 hari lalu
Lamsa, an immigrant group in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt, has advised foreign nationals in the region not to go out alone at night.
Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 17 Palestinians in Gaza, WAFA Reports
1 hari lalu
Israeli air strikes on al-Bureij refugee camp and Jabalia town in central and northern Gaza killed at least 17 Palestinians on Wednesday.
Amid Ceasefire Push, Palestinians Bear the Scars of Israeli Detention
2 hari lalu
Alleged abuses and psychological harm to Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and camps are in renewed focus amid efforts to secure a ceasefire.
UN Special Rapporteur Urges Global Medical Boycott on Israel
3 hari lalu
Francesca Albanese urged medical professionals around the world to sever ties with Israel on Monday, December 30, 2024.
Fear of Attack After Surgery, Netanyahu Hidden in Underground Hospital
3 hari lalu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been placed in a fortified underground hospital after undergoing prostate surgery.
Germany Accuses Elon Musk of Trying to Influence Its Election
3 hari lalu
The German government accused U.S. billionaire Elon Musk on Monday of trying to influence its election.
WHO Calls for Israel to Halt Attacks on Gaza Hospitals
3 hari lalu
At least 45,514 Palestinians have been killed and 108,189 wounded in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
