Overview

• About 1,500 American Birthright Israel participants sailed on the cruise ship Crown Iris from Ashdod to Cyprus and then flew on four wide-body jets chartered by Gov. Ron DeSantis into Tampa.
• An estimated 1,300 participants remain in Israel awaiting evacuation as the U.S. Embassy in Israel and Florida’s Division of Emergency Management coordinate further departures.
• The closure of Ben Gurion International Airport has forced reliance on sea routes to Cyprus and land or air alternatives through Jordan for outbound Americans.
• Tampa nonprofits Grey Bull Rescue and Project Dynamo are facilitating emergency evacuation forms and providing on-the-ground support in Israel and Jordan.
• Birthright Israel is covering all transportation costs for its participants, and the State Department has not announced formal assistance for private U.S. citizens.