Escalating Crisis .. 1,370 Doctors Left Israel in 3 Years

Al-Taj News – 1,370 doctors left Israel between 2023 and 2025, according to a study prepared by Tel Aviv University and whose findings were published by the Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz on Sunday.

The figures come amid warnings from specialists of a worsening medical staffing crisis, particularly as Israel experiences a tense atmosphere ahead of the general elections scheduled for October 27, 2026.

The study defined departing doctors as those who spent more than 270 days outside Israel during the first year after leaving and did not stay inside the country for more than three consecutive months thereafter.

Professor Itay Eytan, one of the study’s authors, said economists had warned since 2023 of a brain drain amid political and security developments.

He explained that concerns began with the government’s plan to introduce changes to the judicial system, then worsened following the October 7, 2023 attack and the war that followed, along with widening divisions within Israeli society.

To assess the impact of this phenomenon, the researchers focused on doctors over the age of 45, considering that they had completed their specialist training and played a key role in training new generations of doctors.

The study showed that one in every five doctors who left Israel between 2023 and 2025 was over the age of 45, a trend the study described as “worrying.”

By specialty, 116 doctors in otolaryngology, dermatology and ophthalmology left, equivalent to 6.2% of those working in these fields, while 188 surgeons left, representing around 6% of all surgeons.

Geographically, the Tel Aviv area recorded the highest departure rate, at 5.4% of its doctors.

These findings coincide with a report issued by the Israeli Finance Ministry showing that around 24% of specialist doctors in public hospitals will reach retirement age in the coming years, while more than 25% of practicing doctors have already exceeded retirement age and continue working due to the shortage of medical staff.

Professor Eytan said that “what is concerning is not so much the current situation as what the upward trend reveals,” noting that continuing along this path could worsen the crisis after the upcoming general elections.