WASHINGTON – Rep. Cory Mills has returned to the United States from Israel, but his efforts to bring home Americans trapped in the Jewish state have not stopped, he exclusively told The Post on Friday.
The Florida Republican helped 159 more Americans return to the United States, even as many major airlines suspended all flights to and from Israel as its war with Hamas progresses.
The Americans landed Friday morning at JFK Airport, where Mills was personally waiting to welcome them home.
“As an elected official and Army combat veteran, I could not stand by as American citizens struggled to leave Israel without any timely evacuation plan from the Biden Administration,” Mills said.
“Once again, I found myself taking on the job that should have been done by President Biden.”
The latest arrivals arrived nearly a week after Mills returned to the United States on Oct. 14 to assume his legislative duties ahead of Wednesday’s vote as speaker of the House of Representatives.
Rep. Cory Mills has returned to the United States from Israel, but his efforts to bring home Americans trapped in the Jewish state have not stopped, he exclusively told The Post on Friday. Courtesy of Representative Cory Mills.
The congressman had been in Israel for a week and a half, expelling more than 100 Americans through neighboring Jordan after reading a Post report that highlighted the plight of Silver Prout, an American trapped in Israel with a religious group with based in California.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
The members were on a tour of the Holy Land when the Hamas terrorist group attacked the Jewish state on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, including at least 33 Americans.
“Upon returning to Washington, D.C., I realized that my mission was not complete,” Mills told The Post.
Mills helped 159 other Americans return to the United States, even as many major airlines suspended all flights to and from Israel as its war with Hamas progresses. Courtesy of Representative Cory Mills.
“Despite my elected duties in voting for Speaker, I have been working diligently with our team to continue helping stranded/stranded Americans.”
How celebrities, schools and companies have reacted to the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel
While the White House announced last week that the State Department would charter flights to evacuate Americans from Israel, several American citizens on the ground have told the Post that contact with the embassy has been spotty.
“This administration has shown a deeply troubling pattern of ignoring the safety of its own citizens,” Mills said.
“As an elected official and Army combat veteran, I could not stand by as American citizens struggled to leave Israel without any timely evacuation plan from the Biden Administration,” Mills said. Courtesy of Representative Cory Mills.
Upon returning to Washington, the congressman contacted the nonprofit Mercury One, founded by former Fox News host Glenn Beck, which agreed to sponsor a flight out of Israel.
“With the support of Mercury One, I stepped up to ensure their safe passage and safe return home,” Mills said.
Follow the Post’s coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas
“Serving in this capacity is a great honor.”
The nonprofit, which helped evacuate more than 9,500 Americans trapped in Afghanistan during the 2021 US withdrawal, doesn’t “wait for the government to act, we step in and do it ourselves,” CEO JP Decker told ThePost.
War between Israel and Hamas: how we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip more than three decades after seizing the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins the Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fire rockets at the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early morning ambush on October 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli cities.
The terrorists killed more than 1,400 Israelis, wounded more than 4,200 and took at least 200 hostage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce: “We are at war” and promised that Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
Health officials in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, report that at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 wounded since the war began.
“We stand with Israel as they fight this war against evil. We also know that many Americans remain in Israel with no way to return home,” Decker said.
“Thanks to our generous donors, everyday Americans across the country who simply donate what they can, we are honored to be able to bring these Americans home at no cost.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn