From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Over 1,000 doctors immigrated to Israel in past two years
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
More than 1,000 immigrant physicians have joined Israel’s healthcare system over the past two years, according to data presented at the National Conference for Immigrant Physicians yesterday.
These immigrants are invaluable additions to Israel’s medical sector, which suffers from continued workforce shortages, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry says. They come at a time when many have left the country, due in part to challenges related to Israel’s war in Gaza and political uncertainty.
Some 541 physicians moved to Israel in 2025, including 346 from the former Soviet Union, 93 from North America and 53 from France, the ministry says. Many came through the International Medical Aliyah Program, or IMAP, led by Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with multiple government ministries and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Immigrant physicians have been placed at the country’s largest medical centers, including Sheba, Hadassah, Rambam, Ichilov and Soroka.
About NIS 5 million ($1.6 million) in grants were given to 15 doctors who chose to live and work in Israel’s Negev and Galilee regions, where the need for doctors is highest, the ministry notes.
The Times of Israel Community.