As the war between Israel and Hamas continues to heat up, the United States is taking action to protect the safety of American citizens in the region. On Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that the government will use charter flights to evacuate Americans from Israel.

The war, which began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, has killed over 2,000 people, including 27 Americans. Now, many Americans are seeking to leave the area.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced Thursday that the U.S. will start arranging charter flights for Americans to leave Israel beginning Friday.

Kirby said the U.S. government is "acutely aware of limited availability right now on commercial flights out of Israel and the demand signaled by U.S. citizens who may want to depart.

"The president has asked his team to ensure that we are assisting U.S. citizens who do want to leave Israel and providing them with a safe means of doing that," he said. "So beginning tomorrow, the United States government will arrange charter flights to provide transportation from Israel to sites in Europe."

"They're still working through some of the details of that, to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members who have, for whatever reason, not been able to provide commercial transit out of the country," Kirby added. "And I would add that we're also exploring other options to expand the capacity of doing this, including exploring whether it's possible to help Americans leave by land and by sea."

The government plans to operate at least four charter flights daily to take Americans to Europe. This comes as the death toll continues to rise and as Israel is preparing a major ground offensive against Hamas. There are over one hundred thousand Americans in Israel and many in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas.

U.S. officials estimate 160,000-170,000 Americans are in Israel, as residents, tourists or in some other capacity. An estimated 500 to 600 American citizens are in Gaza, including people who have been working as humanitarian workers or visiting relatives. Egypt and Israel have closed all exits from the blockaded territory.

The State Department said in a statement it anticipated it would initially facilitate the departure of thousands of U.S. citizens per week out of Israel. The overall security situation, availability and reliability of commercial transportation, and U.S. citizen demand will all influence the duration of this departure assistance. The department asked U.S. citizens in need of evacuation assistance to complete the crisis intake form at travel.state.gov.

Kirby highlighted that the government is aware of the evolving situation and that there are more Americans expressing a desire to leave. He indicated the government will also respect the choices of those who wish to remain in the region. When asked why they are not sending in the military to assist with the evacuations, Kirby answered: “Americans and dual passport holders live all over the world, and sometimes they choose to live in places where more bad things happen.”

Despite the presence of commercial carriers and open ground routes, the turbulent situation in Israel has raised concerns about safety, which is what prompted the White House to go this route. "They're still working through some of the details of that, to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members who have, for whatever reason, not been able to provide commercial transit out of the country," Kirby added.

As the U.S. navigates this situation, it will be critical for the government to collaborate with Israeli officials to ensure that people are receiving accurate information and that those who wish to leave are protected. President Joe Biden, who previously affirmed his support for Israel, met recently with senior administration officials to discuss efforts to protect Jewish and Arab communities in the U.S. after the attacks in Israel.