Key Facts
- Duration
- 36 hours (May 24–25, 1991)
- People airlifted
- 14,325 Ethiopian Jews
- Aircraft used
- 35 Israeli aircraft (C-130s and El Al 747s)
- Record passengers on one plane
- At least 1,088 on a single El Al 747
- Births during airlift
- 8 children born during the operation
Strategic Narrative Overview
Israeli and American officials negotiated with the transitional Ethiopian government, reportedly including financial arrangements, to permit the mass departure. On May 24–25, 1991, 35 Israeli aircraft flew non-stop shuttle missions from Addis Ababa to Tel Aviv. Airlines suspended normal seating limits; one El Al 747 carried over 1,088 passengers, a world record. The entire operation was completed within 36 hours.
01 / The Origins
By 1991, Ethiopia's Marxist Derg regime was collapsing amid civil war, placing the remaining Ethiopian Jewish community (Beta Israel) in serious danger. Israel, committed to facilitating Jewish immigration under the Law of Return, had previously conducted Operations Moses and Joshua to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel, but those programs had been halted. The deteriorating security situation in Addis Ababa made urgent extraction necessary.
03 / The Outcome
All 14,325 Ethiopian Jews were successfully relocated to Israel, concluding the immediate mission without reported casualties. The operation was the third and largest Ethiopian aliyah mission, following Operations Moses and Joshua. It effectively ended the large-scale presence of the Beta Israel community in Ethiopia and remains a landmark event in Israeli immigration history.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent