Over 10,000 Israelis left for Canada in 2024: Israeli media
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"Israel's" Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) has revealed a rise in the number of Israeli settlers choosing to live outside the occupied territories even before the war began.
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Israeli settlers look at a departure board at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, on October 7, 2023, as flights are canceled due to "Israel's" war on the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
The number of Israelis relocating to Canada has increased considerably as the occupation continues its slaughter in the Gaza Strip and aggression on Lebanon, according to a new report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Almost 10,000 settlers moved from the occupied areas to Canada this year, as per the report. It stated that 7,850 Israelis filed for and were given work visas in Canada in 2024, representing a fivefold increase compared to the previous year.
1,585 Israelis were granted work visas in Canada in 2023, according to the data.
It went on to say that the key reasons for the immigration were "Israel's" precarious political and security position, as well as heightened conflict, perceived socioeconomic inequities, and the Israeli occupation's unwillingness to address crucial concerns.
According to the most recent data from the Canadian Ministry of Immigration, 3,425 temporary work visas and 4,424 regular work licenses were awarded to Israelis between December 2023 and September 2024.
Earlier this week, the Israeli Ynet news website released numbers from "Israel's" Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) that showed an increase in the number of Israeli settlers opting to reside outside the occupied territories, even before the war on Gaza began.
"Israel" has killed at least 43,736 Palestinians in Gaza and 3,445 people in Lebanon since October 7, 2023.
Resistance groups in the region have initiated retaliation strikes on Israeli targets in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians and Lebanese, pledging to continue fighting until the regime ends its aggression.
The retaliatory strikes have driven about 70,000 settlers from the northern half of the occupied territories with an October study revealing that 70% of evacuees expressed intentions of avoiding returning to their colonial outposts.
90 hotels closed, thousands of workers laid off: Israeli media
Israeli Channel 12 reported concerning data within "Israel", revealing that one in five hotels in the occupied territories have been shut down since October 7, 2023.
According to reports, 90 hotels have closed so far, with 20% remaining inactive, leading to the dismissal of thousands of workers.
Israeli media also noted that the airlines canceling flights to "Israel" have had a significant impact on various sectors, particularly tourism and the hotel industry.
In this context, the media stated that thousands of families who depend on the hotel sector in "Israel" are now forced to find new sources of employment. It added, "We are talking about a decline of more than 85% in inbound tourism to Israel. There is no real tourism."
As the war rages on, "Israel's" economy is sinking. Earlier last month, passenger traffic at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport dropped by 43% during the first nine months of 2024 due to the escalations amid the war on Gaza and Lebanon, which led many airlines to scale back or withdraw flights.
According to the airport authority, the airport served 10.85 million international passengers from January to September, a decrease from 19.01 million in 2023.
On another note, a report published earlier in August noted that "Israel" now stands at a crossroads regarding the ongoing war on Gaza and confrontations with the Axis of Resistance, detailing that "every decision about the future will undoubtedly have significant economic consequences, especially considering that the projected budget deficit for 2024 is expected to exceed the forecast underlying the current state budget significantly," according to the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).
