U.S. representative Cory Mills (R., Fla.) successfully rescued 96 Americans stranded in Israel after launching a rescue operation of his own early last week, in the wake of the Jewish nation’s recently ignited war with Hamas.
Mills traveled to Israel himself late Tuesday before having to report back to Washington, D.C., two days later to help select a Republican nominee for the House speakership bid, in which Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) is the clear front-runner. Of the 96 total Americans rescued by Mills’s office from Israel, 77 were shuttled out of the country when the Republican congressman was present during the rescue mission, Mills posted Saturday evening on X.
🚨UPDATE: Our office and team has now gotten out 96 Americans from Israel. 77 of which I was on myself.
We’ve also secured a charter aircraft that can hold 218 passengers. It Will not cost anything the Americans needing ti get out of Israel.
I’m also proud to report that… pic.twitter.com/lAfoq3l02D
— Cory Mills (@CoryMillsFL) October 14, 2023
He also said his office “secured a charter aircraft that can hold 218 passengers,” a provided service guaranteed to be free for “Americans needing [to] get out of Israel.” Additionally, among the nearly 100 U.S. citizens rescued was the son of Representative Bill Huizenga (R., Mich.).
Governor Ron DeSantis followed the Florida lawmaker’s example by issuing an executive order on Thursday that authorized charter flights to start bringing “more than 20,000 Americans, including many Floridians, in Israel,” back to the United States.
The Biden administration also arranged to send charter airplanes on Thursday, although it was unclear at the time whether the flights would be free of charge to passengers stuck in Israel.
The U.S. Embassy in Israel is also mobilizing resources to evacuate Americans out of Israel, namely by sea. A ship will be deployed Monday morning solely for that purpose.
At least 29 known Americans have died, the U.S. State Department confirmed Saturday, since Hamas started massacring 1,300 Israelis on October 7. The terrorist group is reportedly holding some 150 hostages; another 15 American citizens remain missing.
“The US government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis,” the State Department said.