First flight from Israel arrives in Florida after DeSantis order

The first flight carrying American citizens from Israel arrived in Florida on Sunday as part of the executive order Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued last week authorizing the rescue of Floridians in Israel amid the country’s fight with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

DeSantis’s office announced nearly 300 American evacuees who were unable to leave Israel due to commercial flight cancellations arrived in Florida on Sunday. More than 270 people landed in Tampa and another seven in Orlando and received support from multiple state agencies, the governor’s office said.

“Today we welcomed nearly 300 Americans who have been in Israel since last week, when the violent attacks by Hamas terrorists began,” DeSantis wrote Sunday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.