DeSantis launches his own Israel flights to bring stranded Jewish Floridians back to US and slams Biden administration for its slow response

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Governor Ron DeSantis launched mercy flights to bring stranded Jewish Floridians back to the US from war-torn Israel. 

DeSantis signed an executive order today to launch the effort, which he says is to benefit the '20,000' American citizens who remain in Israel as the conflict rages on. 

He hopes to charter jets from Israel to Europe, where citizens can then fly home safely. 

In his reasoning for the order, DeSantis slammed the Biden administration for failing to launch its own rescue flights sooner. 

The Biden administration finally announced its plan to bring Americans home this afternoon - days after other countries like Bulgaria, Mexico, Germany and Thailand launched repatriation flights for their citizens.

DeSantis signed an executive order today to launch the effort, which he says is to benefit the '20,000' American citizens who remain in Israel as the conflict rages on 

A woman welcomes children upon arrival at Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt am Main, western Germany on October 12, 2023, after a first flight by German airline Lufthansa from Tel Aviv, Israel, repatriated German nationals, as a full-blown war has erupted since Hamas militants launched their attack on Israel

Republican Congressman Cory Mills has already rescued 32 Americans who were stranded in Israel. 

His office tells DailyMail.com he intends to return to bring more home.   

'Floridians stranded in Israel are requesting help from the Executive Office of the Governor and from nearly every member of Florida's congressional delegation, because they are not receiving timely assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Israel and are not receiving any follow-up after enrolling in the U.S. Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program,' DeSantis rages in his letter.

His efforts on Wednesday came as the White House continued to ponder its plan for getting any stranded Americans out. 

Rep. Cory Mills evacuated 32 Americans from Israel after flying to the region overnight

It's unclear if Mills and the group are now back in the US

Mills, shown on a bus with some of the group, is a vocal critic of the Biden administration

John Kirby, Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, said there were 'active conversations' about how to bring Americans and dual citizens home, but no specifics had been decided upon. 

'We're in active touch with American citizens in Israel, many of them are dual nationalities... there are still commercial carriers flying in and out and there are viable ground routes.

'Neither of those options may necessarily be feasible or affordable, so we are exploring a range of other options to assist if Americans want to leave, I'm just not at liberty to go into that.' 

At a briefing this afternoon, John Kirby, Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, said there were 'active conversations' about how to bring Americans and dual citizens home, but no specifics had been decided upon

 Mills previously rescued Americans from Kabul during the disastrous withdrawal of American 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 who are feared to have been taken hostage by Hamas. 

The White House has not yet decided whether or not it will negotiate with Hamas to secure their release. 

There is yet to be any proof of life for those who have been taken.

Among the unaccounted for are dual citizens including young, Israeli-American teenagers who are 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 following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel, October 11, 2023