Five-thousand new immigrants have arrived in Israel since the outbreak of the war, the Aliyah and Integration Ministry said on Thursday.
The immigrants from Ukraine and neighboring countries arrived as part of “Operation Immigrants Come Home,” the emergency acceptance into Israel of those entitled to make aliyah according to the Law of Return.
A plane with 130 new immigrants landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday morning, joining the 4,940 immigrants from the war zone who have arrived since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Of these, 1,338 immigrants stayed overnight in special hotels rented by the ministry.
President Isaac Herzog, his wife, Michal, Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion met with new immigrants staying at the Caesar Hotel, to talk about the difficult days they went through before they arrived in Israel.
“In order to understand the magnitude of the hour, one must meet face to face with the new immigrants who have immigrated in recent days,” said Tamano-Shata. “We have the right to stand by them and receive them in Israel in these difficult times. This is a home for them, and as the minister of Aliyah and Integration, I will do everything I can to make sure they have an easy and good absorption.”