First Florida rescue flight from Israel brings back almost 300

The first in a series of flights from war-torn Israel ordered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis landed in Tampa Sunday evening, carrying 270 Americans returning from the Jewish state.

DeSantis and his wife Casey greeted the 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 flights last week to fetch Americans stuck in Israel due to commercial flight cancelations following the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas.

“There were people that were really struggling to be able to get out of the war zone, and they weren’t getting help from the State Department,” DeSantis told WHO Radio Des Moines’ “Simon Conway Show.” “I said, ‘Look, you need to leave, I will lead.’”

“We’re going to have another planeload with probably several hundred, and maybe even a third, we’ll see what the demand is like,” the governor added.

“One of the things that was striking is the number of kids that we were able to bring back. I mean, that plane was all, probably close to a third kids.”

Florida teamed up with nonprofit group Project DYNAMO to help organize the flights. The DeSantis administration didn’t immediately divulge how much the operation cost taxpayers.

The governor’s team did note that passengers were not being billed for the flights.

The rescue operation came as many major airlines, including American, Delta, and United, have suspended flights into 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 grinds on, though details remain sparse.

DeSantis, 45, has knocked at President Biden, 80, publicly suggesting there was “a void of leadership” in helping constituents stuck in a war zone.

“I am proud of how quickly we have been able to activate resources and do what the federal government could not – get Floridians and other Americans back home, reunited with their families, free of charge,” DeSantis said in a statement Sunday.

The Sunshine State governor signed an executive order Oct. 12 authorizing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to “carry out logistical, rescue and evacuation operations to keep its residents safe.”

His administration estimated last week that over 20,000 Americans were trapped in Israel as war rages.

In addition to the rescue operations, the governor’s office has revealed plans to ship medical supplies, toys, and other goods to those afflicted by the war.

The Hamas attack led Israel to declare war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

At least 30 Americans were killed in the terrorist onslaught and 13 are unaccounted for, according to the State Department.

Israel is expected to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, home to Tehran-backed Hamas terrorists, at any time.

DeSantis has been strenuously supportive 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 of the prospective Israeli campaign.

“Hamas is the one that is creating this predicament. Hamas is the one who always uses civilian targets to conduct operations.”