Overview
- The first government-organized flight, which landed Thursday at Ben Gurion Airport, brought roughly 240–250 members of the Bnei Menashe community from northeast India.
- Officials say two more flights in the coming weeks will bring the initial wave to about 600 people, with around 1,200 expected to arrive in 2026 and roughly 6,000 targeted by 2030.
- New arrivals are moving into absorption centers in northern cities such as Nof HaGalil and Kiryat Yam, where they will study Hebrew and complete formal conversion before receiving citizenship.
- Operation Wings of Dawn is run by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration with The Jewish Agency and other state bodies, with an estimated 90 million shekel budget covering flights, housing, classes, and job support.
- The Bnei Menashe say they descend from the biblical tribe of Manasseh; about 4,000 have moved to Israel since the 1990s, and reporting frames the new push as family reunification and northern resettlement, with some outlets also noting labor and demographic goals.