Florida Republican Cory Mills rescues 32 Americans in Israel as White House wrangles over how to get stranded US citizens out
- Mills flew to Israel on an overnight flight to rescue Americans stuck there
- The White House has yet to confirm when it will offer evacuation flights
- 22 Americans are dead and 17 are missing, including some taken hostage
Cory Mills, Republican of Florida, rescued 32 Americans stranded in Israel as he stepped up his fight against Hamas.
Today, pictures emerged of Mills, an Iraq veteran, seen with a large group on a bus leaving the war-torn country.
Mills tells The Florida that he flew overnight yesterday to get to the combat zone to help. He provided similar assistance in September 2021 during the disastrous withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
His exact location in Israel is unclear and it is unknown if he returned safely to the US.
Rep. Cory Mills today evacuated 32 Americans from Israel after they flew to the region overnight
It is unclear if Mills and the group are back in the US now or if he is planning any more trips
Mills, shown on a bus with some of the group, is a vocal critic of the Biden administration
His efforts on Wednesday came as the White House pondered its plan to get any stranded Americans out.
At a briefing this afternoon, John Kirby, Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, said there had been “active discussions” about how to bring Americans and dual citizens home, but no specifics had been decided.
‘We are in active contact with US citizens in Israel, many of them dual nationalities… there are still commercial carriers flying in and out and there are viable ground routes.
“None of these options are necessarily feasible or affordable, so we’re exploring a range of other options to help if Americans want to leave, I’m just not at liberty to go into that.”
John Kirby, Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, said during a briefing this afternoon that there had been ‘active discussions’ about how to bring Americans and dual citizens home, but no specifics had been decided.
Mills previously rescued Americans from Kabul during the disastrous withdrawal of US troops in September 2021
The exact number of Americans or dual citizens living in Israel remains unconfirmed by the State Department.
So far, 22 Americans have been killed and 17 remain missing, including a small number feared to be taken hostage by Hamas.
The White House has not yet decided whether it will negotiate with Hamas to secure their release.
There is still no evidence of life for those taken.
Among the unknowns are dual citizens, including young Israeli-American teenagers fighting in the IDF.
The casualties include husband and wife Deborah and Shlomi Mathias, who were shot dead in front of their son, Rotem, on Saturday.
Rotem (16) survived by playing dead. Today he told of the horror he witnessed.
A dead body lies on the ground after a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel, October 11, 2023