https://crsreports.congress.gov
October 20, 2023
Assisting and Evacuating U.S. Citizens Abroad During the
Israel-Hamas Conflict and Other International Crises
The U.S. Department of State (DOS, or the Department)
has long provided consular services to American citizens
around the world pursuant to laws passed by Congress.
Such services include disseminating information regarding
any major disaster or incident abroad affecting the safety of
U.S. citizens and, when their lives are endangered by such
crises, facilitating their safe and efficient evacuation. The
ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has required DOS
to scale up consular assistance to U.S. citizens in Israel, the
West Bank, and Gaza. Members of Congress have
conducted oversight of DOS’s consular response and in
some cases called on the Department to consider providing
additional services to facilitate the departure of U.S.
citizens, including U.S. government charter flights and
military resources. Some Members have also considered
legislation to adjust or eliminate the statutory requirement
that private U.S. citizens evacuated by DOS reimburse the
Department for a portion of the expenses associated with
their evacuation.
Travel Information and the STEP
Program
Section 43 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of
1956 (P.L. 84-885; 22 U.S.C. §2715, hereinafter, the BAA)
requires DOS to serve as a clearinghouse of information on
any major disaster or incident overseas affecting the health
and safety of U.S. citizens. DOS carries out this
responsibility through the Consular Information Program
(CIP), which includes a range of products intended to
inform U.S. citizens worldwide of potential threats to their
health or safety and the availability of consular services
(see Table 1).
DOS disseminates CIP products through several means,
including the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website for U.S.
citizens traveling abroad (http://travel.state.gov) and the
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP is a
digital service through which U.S. citizens traveling or
living abroad can provide their contact information to
receive CIP products applicable to any countries they
select. STEP also helps overseas posts locate U.S. citizens
in an emergency. CIP products are further disseminated
through the websites of relevant overseas posts, DOS’s
social media accounts, and systems of predesignated U.S.
citizen volunteers, or “wardens,” who pass information to
other U.S. citizens. DOS has issued several CIP products in
response to the war between Israel and Hamas. For
example, shortly following Hamas’s initial attacks on
October 7, 2023, DOS issued a Security Alert stating that
U.S. citizens in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza were
“reminded to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to
increase their security awareness as security incidents,
including mortar and rocket fire, often take place without
warning.” As of October 20, DOS has issued at least 10
additional Security Alerts. DOS has also updated its Travel
Advisory for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza and,
separately, Lebanon, to reflect increased security risks.
Table 1. Selected Consular Information Program
(CIP) Products
Source: U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual.
Overseas Evacuations
Section 103 of the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and
Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-399; 22 U.S.C. §4802)
requires DOS to “develop and implement policies and
programs to provide for the safe and efficient evacuation of
… private United States citizens when their lives are
endangered.” In addition, Section 4 of the BAA (22 U.S.C.
§2671) authorizes expenditures for the evacuation of
“private United States citizens or third-country nationals, on
a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable.”
Private U.S. citizens are thus generally responsible for a
portion of the cost for their evacuation. However, the BAA
limits the scope of repayment to “a reasonable commercial
air fare immediately prior to the events giving rise to the
evacuation.”
In practice, when DOS recommends that private U.S.
citizens leave a country, it advises them to evacuate using
existing commercial transportation options whenever
possible. This policy initially was reflected in a statement
