After word began to reach Israel in late 1984 that a large number of Ethiopian Jews were dying from disease and malnutrition in Sudanese refugee camps, the Israeli government authorized a covert operation to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

With help from the CIA and Sudanese officials, Israeli agents smuggled the Jews out of the refugee camps and onto flights under the very noses of the local authorities. The seven-week clandestine operation began on November 21, 1984, and brought 8,000 Ethiopian Jews on over 30 flights to Israel.

The success of Operation Moses laid the groundwork for Operation Solomon six years later, when over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel on another covert operation.