Two hundred and forty members of the Bnei Menashe community from northeastern India — primarily Manipur and Mizoram — arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on April 23 as part of Operation Wings of Dawn. The operation is led by Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency.
PHOTO CREDIT: The Jewish Agency of Israel
IMPHAL – Two hundred and forty new olim (immigrants) from the Bnei Menashe community in northeastern India arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on April 23, 2026, in the first of three flights expected over the next two weeks as part of Operation Wings of Dawn. The joint operation is led by Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency for Israel, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Conversion Authority, the Population and Immigration Authority, and a range of international partners.
The arrivals were welcomed in a moving reception ceremony attended by Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer; The Jewish Agency's Chairman of the Executive, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog; Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel; and Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, David Yosef. The first flight included dozens of young families who will initially be housed in absorption centres in Nof HaGalil, where they will also reunite with relatives who made Aliyah in previous years.
The Bnei Menashe community — whose members believe themselves to be descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel — are predominantly from the northeastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram. Over the past two decades, approximately 4,000 members of the community have already immigrated to Israel under earlier government decisions. Operation Wings of Dawn represents a comprehensive effort to complete what has been a generations-long process of return.
Under the current plan, approximately 1,200 additional immigrants are expected to arrive by the end of 2026. The broader process of bringing approximately 4,800 more community members — currently residing in Manipur and Mizoram — is expected to be completed by 2030. In total, approximately 6,000 olim are expected to arrive as part of Operation Wings of Dawn, marking the completion of the Aliyah of the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel.
A plane carrying 240 new immigrants from the Indian Bnei Menashe Jewish community landed this evening at Ben Gurion Airport. pic.twitter.com/9bljl3bjQs
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) April 23, 2026
Operation Wings of Dawn follows a government decision made last November, initiated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer, and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, with the goal of completing the immigration of all remaining members of the Bnei Menashe community. The initiative is designed to facilitate family reunification and support the successful integration of new arrivals into Israeli society.
The preparation of the community for Aliyah and the coordination of flights to Israel were entrusted to The Jewish Agency, made possible through the support of Jewish communities around the world and friends of Israel. Key international partners include the World Zionist Organization, The Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Christians for Israel, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and supporters of Israel in South Korea. New immigrants will be settled in absorption centres operated by The Jewish Agency in the northern cities of Nof HaGalil and Kiryat Yam, in partnership with local municipalities.
Returning home after 2,000 years. Last night, 240 new olim from the Bnei Menashe community arrived in Israel with Operation "Wings of Dawn." Young families, children, grandparents: finally home, reunited with family who made Aliyah before them.
— The Jewish Agency for Israel (@JewishAgency) April 24, 2026
Welcome home ????
?? Omri Dagan pic.twitter.com/B7MYowlvJt
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer described the operation as a historic moment, stating that the arrival of the first flight marks the beginning of an initiative that will unite the entire Bnei Menashe community in the State of Israel. He noted that there is no more fitting time to welcome a plane full of olim than right after Israel's 78th Independence Day, welcoming the arrivals home.
Chairman of The Jewish Agency, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, said the arrival is a reminder that the Zionist vision continues to be realised day by day, describing Aliyah as the State of Israel's growth engine. He emphasised that the community brings with them unconditional love for the State of Israel, and that through family reunification, the heart of Israeli society as a whole is expanded.
