Israel welcomed 240 new immigrants from India’s Bnei Menashe community this week, marking the launch of a broader government-backed effort to complete the group's aliyah, according to an official statement.

The arrivals, who landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday, are part of Operation “Wings of Dawn,” a joint initiative led by the Aliyah and Integration Ministry and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI).

The flight is the first in a series expected over the coming weeks, with approximately 600 immigrants set to arrive in three waves. Many of the new arrivals are young families who will initially settle in absorption centers in Nof HaGalil, where some will reunite with relatives who immigrated in previous years.

The broader initiative aims to bring the remaining members of the Bnei Menashe community, currently living in Mizoram and Manipur states in northeast India, to Israel. According to the plan, some 1,200 additional immigrants are expected by the end of 2026, with the full relocation of approximately 6,000 community members projected by 2030.

The “Wings of Dawn” operation follows a government decision approved in November, spearheaded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The effort is intended both to reunite families already in Israel and to support the community’s long-term integration into Israeli society.

Officials emphasized that the initiative is being carried out in coordination with multiple government bodies, including the Foreign Ministry, the Population and Immigration Authority, and the Conversion Authority, as well as international Jewish organizations and pro-Israel groups.

The new olim were greeted at a reception ceremony attended by senior officials, including Sofer, Jewish Agency chair Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, World Zionist Organization chair, Yaakov Hagoel, and Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef.

Addressing the new olim on Thursday, Sofer said, “We are making history as we bring the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel… There is no more fitting and moving time to welcome a plane full of olim than right after the State's 78th Independence Day. Welcome home.”

Almog described the moment as part of the ongoing realization of the Zionist vision. “Aliyah is the State of Israel’s growth engine, and every new oleh is a lighthouse of hope,” he said, adding that the responsibility now extends beyond arrival to ensuring successful absorption and opportunity.

The new immigrants are expected to be housed in absorption centers in northern Israel, including Nof HaGalil and Kiryat Yam, where they will receive support as they transition into life in the country.