Israeli firefighters have stated that 155 firefighting teams are continuing to battle the large fires in the country, with aircraft resuming operations to extinguish the flames after sunrise. “At this stage, we have not yet gained control of the fires,” a statement from the Israeli Fire and Rescue Service relayed by the Times of Israel said.
Meanwhile, 17 firefighters have sustained injuries, with two of them taken to the hospital. The Jerusalem police indicated that firefighting operations are expected to continue until evening, and a national ban on lighting fires and grills is in effect for Independence Day celebrated today in Israel.
A massive fire is engulfing the hills around Jerusalem, fueled by strong winds and extreme temperatures. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of the risk as he heads to the city. All events on the Memorial Day and the start of Independence Day have been canceled, and Israel has declared a state of emergency.
“We are possibly facing the largest fire ever in the country. We have no idea what caused it. I can say that after the initial fires, several deliberate fires were set in other locations,” said Jerusalem Fire Department commander Shmulik Friedman on TV. Hamas has capitalized on the crisis with an incendiary message on Telegram: “Palestinians, burn everything you can, forests, houses of settlers (all Israelis are called settlers by Palestinians).
Youth from the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Israel have set fire to their cars… Gaza awaits the revenge of the free,” the fundamentalist organization wrote. Prior to this, a post from the Jenin news network urged Palestinians to “burn the forests near the settlements.” Some channels cursed the PA of Abu Mazen for offering help to Israel and invoked: “Heroes, this is your day. Exploit the fires and make them grow. Gasoline and a spark can turn Israel into a hell of fire.”
On the Nablus News channel, a video of incitement was circulated, calling to “turn the night into a day of fire.” An anonymous Israeli security source reported that investigators do not rule out that the wave of fires is related to terrorism. But these are delicate investigations, and currently, there is no evidence that the ignition was intentional. The Shin Bet (internal intelligence) is participating in the investigations, confirming the authorities’ fears. The police have only reported the arrest of a pyromaniac from East Jerusalem reported by witnesses and caught while trying to ignite the brush, hours after the other fires had spread. The media reports two other arrests.
The flames have spread to seven main locations, some of which are densely populated towns. The Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem has asked citizens not to come to the facility unless absolutely necessary, staff has evacuated patients who did not require hospitalization and prepared to receive any fire victims while dozens of smoke inhalation cases are reported. In the evening, emergency forces prepared to evacuate the Alin hospital in Jerusalem. The flames reached roads and highways, causing their closure, motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles to seek safety.
Trains between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and connections to other towns were suspended for over seven hours, in some cases, travelers were rescued by buses and emergency vehicles. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has requested international assistance and spoken with counterparts from Italy, the UK, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Argentina, Spain, North Macedonia, and Azerbaijan. He also contacted Antonio Tajani who confirmed that he had immediately activated our Civil Protection Department. Netanyahu, who is personally monitoring the developments from the crisis unit, announced that two Canadair aircraft are expected from Italy and one from Croatia. In addition to over a hundred firefighting teams, the army is also participating in the massive fire extinguishing operation with its vehicles and aircraft. For the first time in the country’s history, the most-watched broadcaster, Channel 12, announced live that the studio was about to be evacuated and broadcasts would be “handed over” to an alternative facility as the fire reached the Neve Ilan headquarters during the news broadcast.
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