The first flight in a series of flights from war-torn Israel ordered by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis landed in Tampa Sunday afternoon, carrying 270 Americans returning from the Jewish state.
DeSantis and his wife, Casey, greeted evacuees with hugs and handshakes as they disembarked.
Seven people were also dropped off in Orlando as part of the operation, the governor’s office announced.
DeSantis, a contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, ordered the flight last week to pick up Americans stuck in Israel due to the cancellation of commercial flights following the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas.
“There are people who are really struggling to get out of the war zone, and they’re not getting help from the State Department,” DeSantis told WHO Radio Des Moines’ “Simon Conway Show.” “I said, ‘Look, you have to go, I’m going to lead.'”
Governor greets evacuees after they land.X / @Project_Dynamo1
“We’ll have another planeload of maybe a few hundred, and maybe even a third, we’ll see how the demand goes,” the governor added.
“One of the interesting things was the number of children we were able to bring home. I mean, the whole plane, probably close to the third child.”
Florida partnered with the nonprofit group Project DYNAMO to help organize the flights. The DeSantis administration did not immediately disclose the cost of taxpayer operations.
Project DYNAMO is a non-profit rescue organization based in Tampa.
The governor’s team found that passengers were not billed for the flight.
The rescue operation comes as many major airlines, including American, Delta and United, have suspended flights in and out of the Jewish state amid the conflict.
Meanwhile, the State Department announced plans last week to charter flights for Americans stuck in Israel as the conflict drags on, though details remain sparse.
Flights in and out of Israel have been restricted due to the ongoing war. X / @Project_Dynamo1
DeSantis, 45, has slammed President Biden, 80, for publicly suggesting there is a “leadership void” in helping constituents stuck in war zones.
“I’m proud of how quickly we were able to activate resources and do what the federal government couldn’t do — bring Floridians and other Americans home, reunited with their families, for free,” DeSantis said in a statement Sunday. .
The Sunshine State’s governor signed an executive order on Oct. 12 authorizing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to “conduct logistics, rescue and evacuation operations to keep residents safe.”
His administration estimated last week that more than 20,000 Americans were trapped in Israel as the war raged.
In addition to the rescue operation, the governor’s office has revealed plans to send medical supplies, toys and other goods to those affected by the war.
The Hamas attack caused Israel to declare war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Ron DeSantis has long been a staunch supporter of Israel.AP
At least 30 Americans were killed in the terrorist attack and 13 remain unaccounted for, according to the State Department.
Israel is expected to launch a ground attack on the Gaza Strip, home to Tehran-backed Hamas terrorists, at any moment.
DeSantis has been a staunch supporter of Israel, and visited the Jewish state in April, weeks before launching his campaign.
“It’s not collective punishment,” DeSantis told CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday about the impending Israeli campaign.
“Hamas is the one who created this trouble. Hamas is the one who always uses civilian targets to carry out operations.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
