DeSantis’s office says it is sending drones, weapons, ammunition to Israel

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) office says it is sending drones, weapons and ammunition to Israel to support its war against Hamas, a move that would bolster the governor’s pro-Israel stance in the battle for the GOP presidential nomination.

Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for DeSantis’s office, said that Florida contracted cargo planes to transport drones, body armor, helmets and healthcare supplies to Israel. He said that the body armor and helmets were transported to Israel at the request of the Israeli Consul General in Miami.

He said since Florida was already sending supplies to Israel, it was able to add the requested body armor and helmets on the cargo plane. Redfern said Florida did not purchase the body armor or helmets.

Redfern also said that the state worked with private parties to “help get weapons and ammunition” to Israel at a separate request of the consul general. He also said that the weapons and ammunition were not purchased by Florida.

Redfern did not comment on what kinds of weapons were provided or how many drones and rounds of ammunition were sent to Israel. He also did not say what third parties the state had worked with.

Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, the Israeli consul general in Miami, told The Associated Press that he did not request drones, body armor, or helmets. He also said he did not talk to DeSantis about getting weapons or ammunition through private parties.

“Nothing went through me,” Elbaz-Starinsky told the AP. “We were never in communication on any shipments of arms or ammunition. The only thing that I have dealt with sending is medical supplies.”

DeSantis has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has vowed that Florida will do as much as it can to aid the nation in its efforts against Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. He issued an executive order earlier this month authorizing the rescue of Floridians in Israel using chartered flights.

In a Wednesday post on X, formerly Twitter, DeSantis wrote that nearly 700 Americans have been flown from Israel to Florida in four separate rescue flights.

The U.S. has also said it is working to get Americans out of the region and is negotiating for the release of Americans held hostage by Hamas. National Security spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. is not sure how many of the 10 Americans unaccounted for in Israel are being held as hostages, noting that some may have been killed in the initial attacks.

“We don’t know.  They’re unaccounted for. Some could be hostages; some could unfortunately be — be dead. We just — we don’t know. That’s why they’re still in the unaccounted-for category,” he said at a press briefing.

It’s unclear whether DeSantis coordinated with the Biden administration to send the weapons and other supplies.

The National Security Council referred The Hill to the Commerce Department and State Department for comment.

DeSantis is trailing former President Trump in GOP primary polls nationally and in early-voting primary states. Republicans will hold their third presidential debate in early November, though Trump is not expected to attend.

Hamas launched its attack on Oct. 7, prompting Israel to declare war on the group. Since then, Israel has escalated its bombardment of Gaza, saying it is targeting Hamas’s strongholds in the territory.

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, mostly in the initial infiltration on Oct. 7. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday that 6,546 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip.

–Updated at 4:00 p.m.