Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met 270 US. citizens fleeing the Israel-Hamas war at Tampa International Airport Sunday night.
The flight was coordinated by Project Dynamo, a Tampa-based nonprofit made up of U.S. military veterans who do international search and rescue missions. The mission was called Operation: PROMISED LAND, which got the Americans, including 91 children plus two dogs, back from Israel, according to the group’s post on X.
“We’re here at Tampa airport. We are having our first flight of people being rescued from Israel,” Mr. DeSantis wrote on X Sunday. “It has landed over 260 people that wanted to get to the United States and couldn’t do it. There was a devoid of leadership, so we stepped up and led. We’re happy to be able to deliver. So we’re getting ready to welcome them back to the United States of America.”
This comes after the governor declared a state of emergency Thursday due to the amount of Floridians in Israel who wanted to return.
“Unlike the governments of other countries, the Biden administration has failed to launch any form of rescue or evacuation operations for Americans, including Floridians, stranded in the region and has failed to provide the information requested by the state of Florida about any plans for such operations,” the state of emergency said.
“Floridians stranded in Israel are requesting help from the Executive Office of the Governor and from nearly every member of Florida’s congressional delegation, because they are not receiving timely assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Israel and are not receiving any follow-up after enrolling in the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.”
In a video posted on X by Project Dynamo, the organization’s founder, Bryan Stern, said his team was in Israel over a week to help Americans get back to the U.S.
“Big shoutout to Governor DeSantis; thank you so much for your support,” Mr. Stern said. “Your executive order was a game-changer for us and allowed us to save all of these lives. We’ve been here for over a week, since the day after the big massacre, and we’re excited to get home, we’re excited to get these people out and we’re excited to pull this operation off.”
Over 2,000 people have been killed on both sides since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel Oct. 7. At least 30 Americans died, according to officials.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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