Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday welcomed nearly 300 American evacuees who came from Israel as they escaped the violence brought by the Hamas attack on the region.
The hundreds of citizens, which included 91 children, flew from Israel to the United States through Portugal and landed at Tampa International Airport at around 7:45 p.m. Bryan Stern expressed his gratitude to DeSantis for making the mission to bring the American citizens back home possible.
Rescuing American Citizens
On Thursday, the Florida governor signed an executive order that enabled the Florida Division of Emergency Management to bring Floridians home and transport supplies out to Israel. Officials estimated that roughly 20,000 U.S. citizens, including some from the Sunshine State, were still stranded in the Middle Eastern country.
DeSantis' executive order directs the Florida Division of Emergency Management to charter flights for American citizens who are trying to flee the war-torn country and back home. Additionally, it states that it would allow Florida to carry out logistical, rescue, and evacuation operations to keep its residents safe, as per WFLA.
Stern is the founder of Project Dynamo, an international search, rescue, aid, and assistance non-profit organization, which launched "Operation: Promised Land" after Hamas militant forces attacked Israel on Oct. 7. He noted that his team was already working on rescuing hostages that were being held by the terrorist group.
Additionally, Project Dynamo is making efforts to evacuate Americans who are trapped in Gaza and the ones who have been unable to book their own flights back home. The majority of airlines have suspended service in and out of Israel since the beginning of the war with the Hamas group.
A news release noted that after the plane landed in Tampa, the evacuees that rose inside were able to access resources from multiple state agencies. The supplies that DeSantis' office was sending to Israel included medical supplies, hygiene products, clothing, and children's toys.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
The Florida governor posted a video on social media where he said that they were at Tampa airport welcoming the first flight of people who were rescued from Israel. Stern said that it was immensely difficult getting American citizens out of Gaza and did not provide additional information on future rescue missions, according to CBS News.
American officials have started organizing charter flights in recent days for the thousands of trapped U.S. citizens. The first of these flights landed in Athens, Greece, on Saturday. They are departing from Ben Gurion International Airport, which is the main airport of Israel.
DeSantis' efforts to rescue trapped Americans have created a rift between him and fellow presidential candidate Nikki Haley. The former United Nations ambassador pushed back against the Florida governor's views, saying that Americans have always been sympathetic to the fact that civilians and terrorists can be separated.
The dividing views come as nearly 1 million people are experiencing a shortage of food, clean water, and shelter in Gaza. On Sunday, DeSantis argued that it would be detrimental to the U.S. to "import" large numbers of refugees, arguing that it would fuel anti-semitism, said the New York Times.
