Governor Ron DeSantis launched mercy flights to bring stranded Jewish Florida residents back to the US from war-torn Israel.
DeSantis signed an executive order today to launch the effort, which he says will benefit the “20,000” American citizens who remain in Israel as the conflict continues.
He hopes to charter planes from Israel to Europe, where citizens can then fly home safely.
In his reasoning for the order, DeSantis blasted the Biden administration for failing to launch its own rescue flights sooner.
The Biden administration finally announced its plan to bring Americans home this afternoon — days after other countries like Bulgaria, Mexico, Germany and Thailand launched repatriation flights for their citizens.
DeSantis signed an executive order today to launch the effort, which he says will benefit the “20,000” American citizens who remain in Israel as the conflict continues.
A woman welcomes children upon arrival at Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt am Main, West Germany on October 12, 2023, after a first flight of the German airline Lufthansa from Tel Aviv, Israel, with repatriated German nationals, as there has since been a direct war has broken out Hamas militants launched their attack on Israel. The White House has not yet operated any flights
Republican Congressman Cory Mills has already rescued 32 Americans stranded in Israel.
His office tells DailyMail.com that he plans to return to bring more home.
“Floridians stranded in Israel are asking for help from the Governor’s Executive Office and nearly every member of Florida’s congressional delegation because they are not receiving timely assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Israel and no follow-up after they have enrolled in the US Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program,” DeSantis rages in his letter.
His efforts on Wednesday came as the White House continued to consider its plan to get stranded Americans out.
Representative Cory Mills today evacuated 32 Americans from Israel after flying into the region overnight
It is unclear whether Mills and the group are now back in the US or if he is planning more trips
Mills, who is shown on a bus with some of the group, is an outspoken critic of the Biden administration
At a briefing this afternoon, John Kirby, Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, said there were “active discussions” about how to bring Americans and dual nationals home, but no details had yet been determined.
“We are actively engaging with American citizens in Israel, many of them dual nationals… there are still commercial airlines flying in and out and there are viable ground routes.
“None of these options are necessarily feasible or affordable, so we are exploring a range of other options to help if Americans want to leave.” I just don’t have the freedom to comment on that.’
At a briefing this afternoon, John Kirby, Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, said there were “active discussions” about how to bring Americans and dual nationals home, but no specific details had yet been determined.
Mills previously rescued Americans from Kabul during the disastrous US troop withdrawal in September 2021
The exact number of Americans or dual citizens living in Israel remains unconfirmed by the State Department.
So far, 22 Americans have been killed and 17 are missing, including a small number feared to have been taken hostage by Hamas.
The White House has not yet decided whether or not it will negotiate with Hamas to secure their release.
There is no evidence of life yet for those who were taken.
Among the missing are dual citizens, including young Israeli-American teenagers fighting in the IDF.
The victims include husband and wife Deborah and Shlomi Mathias, who were shot dead on Saturday in the presence of their son Rotem.
Rotem, 16, survived by playing dead. Today he talked about the horrors he witnessed.
A corpse lies on the ground after a massive infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel, October 11, 2023
