First charter flight for U.S. citizens leaving Israel has taken off, White House says

The first charter flight that the U.S. State Department is organizing has departed from Israel and is en route right now to a site in Europe, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday. The flight comes as there is limited availability of commercial flights out of Israel and a high demand from U.S. citizens wanting to depart following the surprise attack a week ago by Hamas, according to Kirby.