US begins evacuating Americans from Israel

The US government is offering evacuation flights to American citizens wishing to leave Israel as the war between Israel and the Gaza Strip-based militant terrorist group Hamas continues and the death toll of Americans rises. Writes about this Forbes.

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As White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing, the flights will begin on Friday, October 13, “to provide transportation for American citizens and their immediate families from Israel to European countries.”

The government plans to operate at least four charter flights a day from Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing unnamed sources.

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The State Department's travel advisory for Israel is currently at Level 3, meaning people should reconsider their plans, although travel to the country is not prohibited, while Gaza remains at Level 4, meaning the State Department recommends against travel. from traveling there.

Civil flights can still enter and leave Israel, but many foreign airlines have canceled flights, making it difficult for foreign tourists to leave the country.

US officials estimate there are between 160 and 170 Americans in Israel and between 500 and 600 in the Gaza Strip.

A State Department spokesman said that due to high demand for air travel, the department is exploring opportunities for transportation "by air, land and sea with nearby countries."

Twenty-seven is the number of US citizens reported to have died in the Hamas attack. In addition, 14 Americans are still missing.

On October 7, Hamas militants crossed the Gaza Strip border and entered southern Israel. They killed residents, captured prisoners and fired rockets at Israeli cities in one of the worst attacks on Israel in decades.

Israel immediately officially declared war and began striking targets in Gaza. As a result, in just five days, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 2300 people died - 1200 Israelis and 1100 Palestinians.

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There are several Americans believed to be in Hamas captivity, Kirby said, although officials have not said exactly how many. At a press briefing, he noted that the United States “stands ready to take action if any entity hostile to Israel attempts to escalate or expand this war.”

Officials have not released the names of the missing or dead Americans, but the New York Times identified some of them through family accounts and said they included a mother and daughter from the Chicago area, a Long Island high school graduate and a young man who had visited music festival where at least 260 people were killed in an attack.

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