Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued an executive order Thursday authorizing the rescue operations of Floridians in Israel and to provide support to Israel in its war against Hamas.
“There are more than 20,000 Americans, including many Floridians, in Israel who wish to return home but have been prevented from doing so because of commercial flight cancellation and other travel and logistics disruptions due to the ongoing war in the region,” DeSantis’s order said.
Multiple airlines suspended flights to Tel Aviv in the wake of the attacks. The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory Saturday for Gaza, urging people not to travel to the region.
DeSantis’s order criticized President Biden for his failure to launch “any form of rescue or evacuation operations.
The Biden administration announced Thursday it would arrange charter flights for U.S. citizens looking to leave Israel.
The administration is looking to charter the flights from Israel to somewhere in Europe and is still finalizing the details, including whether the flights will be free of charge.
It’s currently unclear how or if DeSantis’s order will work with the Biden administration’s plan to fly citizens back to the U.S.
DeSantis said Florida is home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the world, including a large number of Israeli-American citizens. Due to “foregoing conditions, which are expected to constitute a major disaster,” DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Florida.
The Division of Emergency Management in Florida will handle the state’s response and recovery of Floridians in Israel, DeSantis’s order said. He ordered the state’s National Guard and State Guard to deal with the emergency “as needed.”
The order was effective Thursday and will expire in 60 days unless extended.
“We will not leave our residents behind,” DeSantis said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “To the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home — help is on the way.”