Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv is empty as travel was suspended after Israel launched strikes on Iran on Thursday. Americans in Israel are being evacuated by water. Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA-
The U.S. government and a Florida agency are working to arrange evacuation flights and cruise ship departures for Americans who want to leave Israel.
That includes participants in Birthright Israel, which is a free, 10-day heritage trip to Israel offered to young Jewish adults between the ages of 18-26.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Wednesday his embassy is working to get Americans out of Israel.
“Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel-US Embassy in Israel @usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures,” Huckabee wrote on his personal X account and later reposted on official accounts. “You must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). You will be alerted w/ updates.”
The State Department later said that it has “no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time.”
The situation is complicated by the closure of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Jordan’s airports are open for commercial flights after being shut on Friday and Saturday.
On Tuesday, Americans participating in Birthright Israel boarded buses and sailed on the Crown Iris, a luxury Israeli cruise ship operated by Mano Maritime, to Cyprus. After the 13-hour voyage, they were flown to Tampa, Fla., on four jets chartered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In October 2023, DeSantis’ office flew nearly 700 Americans from Israel to Florida after Hamas attacked the Middle Eastern country.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management wrote on Facebook Sunday that it is “actively coordinating efforts to assist Americans seeking evacuation from the hostile situation in Israel.”
Sierra Dean, a spokesperson for the governor, said stranded Americans can fill out an emergency evacuation form from Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa nonprofit that helps rescue citizens in conflict zones. Project Dynamo, a nonprofit also in Tampa, has teams on the ground in Israel and Jordan to assist.
Birthright Israel, a nonprofit, said it will pay for all its participants’ transportation costs.
When the airstrikes began, Birthright had about 2,800 young adult participants in Israel with 20,000 planning to go there this summer. Trips were canceled after the Israel-Hamas war, but were resumed in January 2023.
“Today we witnessed the true spirit of Birthright Israel – not only as an educational journey, but as a global family committed to the safety and well-being of every participant,” the organization’s CEO, Gidi Mark, said in a statement to The Times of Israel.
“This was a complex and emotional operation, carried out under immense pressure, and we are proud to have brought 1,500 young adults safely to Cyprus. Our team continues to work around the clock to secure solutions for the remaining participants still in Israel.”
Birthright participants were instructed to keep the voyage a secret by their group leaders.
“We’ve spent the last week going to bomb shelters every single night and barely getting any sleep,” Cantor Josh Goldberg told WPEC-TV. “So at least we all got to sleep on the boat.”
About 1,300 Birthright participants were still in Israel.
