Members of the Bnei Menashe (Sons of Manasseh) community from India wave Israeli flags as they arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, on April 23, 2026. Photo: Jack Guez/AFP.
A $30-million plan aims to bring 6,000 Indian Jews by 2030, to expand illegal settlements, and replace the Palestinian workforce
Approximately 240 members of India’s Bnei Menashe Jewish community arrived in Israel on 24 April, marking the first phase of “Operation Wings of Dawn,” a government-supported initiative to expand Jewish settlements in occupied Palestine.
The arrivals mark the opening stage of a 90-million shekel (around $30 million) plan to import 1,200 Indian nationals annually, targeting a total of 6,000 by 2030, effectively replacing the Palestinian workforce that was cut off after October 2023.
Those brought in, who claim descent from a so-called “lost tribe,” are being funneled through mandatory Orthodox conversions to qualify under the “Law of Return,” a system that grants citizenship on religious grounds while denying displaced Palestinians the right to return to their land.
Officials said the initial group landed “this week,” with further flights already scheduled. Around 600 additional immigrants are expected in three waves over the coming weeks, continuing a process that is set to expand steadily.
Many of those arriving are expected to be placed in absorption centers in Nof HaGalil, where some will join relatives who had already moved to Israel in previous years, as part of efforts to plug the labor gap left by Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the subsequent cutoff of Palestinian workers.
The rollout reflects a structured state-led effort to import new labor and population groups while Palestinian workers remain excluded following Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Israel had blocked Palestinian labor at scale after October 2023, cutting off over 100,000 workers who had previously entered from the occupied West Bank and depended on jobs inside Israel for their livelihood.
Prior to the genocide, Palestinians made up a significant share of the workforce, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the construction sector, with tens of thousands also employed in settlements and industrial zones.
Israel moved quickly to replace that labor pool, bringing in more than 20,000 Indian workers by mid-2025, including large numbers in construction roles, with the purpose of replacing Palestinian labor during the Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
A February 2026 agreement between India and Israel expanded that effort further, with plans to bring in up to 50,000 additional Indian laborers over the next five years.
