The first contingent of Yemenite Jews arrived in Israel in 1881. By 1919, there were 4,234 Yemenites in Palestine. Between 1917 and 1948, a total of 15,340 Yemenite Jews arrived in Palestine. Beginning after the issuance of the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel, a total of 48,818 Yemenite Jews were flown in on 430 flights. Besides bringing the overwhelming majority of the Yemenite community, Operation Magic Carpet also airlifted the small Jewish communities of Aden, Djibouti in French Somalialand, and Asmara in Eritria.