PNN – While the Zionist regime’s war mongering in the region continues, official Tel Aviv statistics report an unprecedented increase in reverse migration and the transfer of technology companies’ activities outside the occupied territories; while experts assess this event as a serious threat to the economic future of the regime.
According to a report of Pakistan News Network, while the Zionist regime has introduced the attraction of Jewish immigrants from all over the world since its establishment as one of the main foundations of its survival and economic and demographic development, it is now faced with a phenomenon that some officials of the regime refer to as the “tsunami of Israeli exodus.”
This crisis has become one of Israel’s most serious strategic challenges, in light of ongoing hostilities in the region, escalating insecurity, internal political divisions, and declining public trust in governing institutions.
Increased Zionist Departure from the Occupied Territories
Data published by the Knesset Research and Information Center (Israeli Parliament) shows that the net immigration balance in this regime has decreased by more than 125,000 people from the beginning of 2022 to August 2024. This figure means that the number of people who left the occupied territories was much higher than those who returned to it.
According to the report, the process of residents leaving the occupied territories has gained unprecedented momentum in recent years, especially during the Gaza war. The number of people who left the occupied territories in 2022 reached about 59,000, and this figure increased by 44 percent in 2023 to more than 82,000. In the first eight months of 2024, about 50,000 people left occupied Palestine.
What makes this trend even more worrisome for Israeli officials is the demographic composition of the emigrants. Nearly half of those leaving are between the ages of 20 and 44, a group that is considered the backbone of the skilled and productive workforce of the economy. In addition, significant shares of the emigrants are university-educated, with holders of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees making up a significant portion of the emigrant population.
A study conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University, based on official data from the Israeli Statistical and Tax Authorities, shows that from 2023 to September 2024, as the Gaza war intensified, about 90,000 people left occupied Palestine. Among them are about 19,000 university graduates, hundreds of people with doctorates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, 3,000 engineers and hundreds of doctors.
Tech Industry under Pressure of War; Wave of Layoffs and Offshoring
The crisis takes on broader dimensions when we consider the state of Israel’s high-tech industry, a sector that has been the main engine of the regime’s economic growth for the past two decades and played a significant role in attracting foreign investment and tax revenues.
According to the 2025 report of the Israel Innovation Authority, more than 8,300 workers in the high-tech sector left the occupied territories between October 2023 and July 2024. This is the first time in a decade that the sector has faced a reduction in manpower.
The importance of this issue becomes even clearer when we consider that the high-tech sector, despite employing less than 8 percent of Israel’s workforce, provides about a quarter of the government’s tax revenues. Therefore, any weakening of this sector could have direct consequences for economic growth and the government’s financial strength.
The Israeli Channel 12 TV reported that, along with the departure of experts, there are also worrying signs of technology companies moving their operations outside the occupied territories. According to data presented at an emergency meeting of technology industry executives with officials from the Israeli Ministry of Finance, 62% of companies operating in this field have laid off staff, 29% have stopped hiring, and 47% have moved their operations abroad.
Industry executives have also warned that dozens of technology companies will face closure in the coming months.
A wave of layoffs at major tech companies has also added to the concerns. Well-known companies such as Wix and Rapyd have implemented large-scale layoffs in recent months. Some of these cuts have been accompanied by the transfer of activities to other countries, a trend that experts see as a sign of the decline in economic and investment attractiveness of the occupied territories in light of the escalating insecurity.
Capital Flight and the Exit of Millionaires
Along with the departure of skilled manpower, capital flight has also become another challenge for the Israeli economy. Published reports indicate that about 1,700 millionaires will have left the occupied territories by 2024.
Some Israeli research centers attribute these developments to a series of interconnected factors, including the consequences of the Gaza war and the escalation of tension in the region, the escalation of insecurity and the decline in public trust in government institutions, as well as political disputes resulting from the draft law and the departure of Orthodox Jews from the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, the war that began in October 2023 (the Gaza War) and then continued with increased regional tensions and the war against Iran has played an important role in intensifying the process of withdrawing specialized forces and capital.
A survey conducted among those who have left the occupied territories indicates that the war and internal political developments have been the most important reasons for their reduced willingness to return to the occupied territories. According to this survey, many people who previously intended to return have decided to stay after settling in other countries.
Meanwhile, some Israeli officials and researchers have warned of the consequences of this trend. They believe that if the exodus of doctors, engineers, researchers, and technology companies continues at this rate, Israel will face serious economic damage.