The Israeli government has declared a national state of
emergency as raging wildfires, described as the largest in the country’s
history, edge dangerously close to the city of Jerusalem.
Emergency services, firefighters, and the military are
battling around the clock to contain the infernos that have already scorched
vast areas of land and disrupted daily life.
According to Mail Online, the fires erupted early Tuesday
near Mesilat Zion, west of Jerusalem, and spread rapidly due to high winds
reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.
The blazes have caused thick smoke to engulf major highways,
forcing panicked motorists to abandon their vehicles.
“We are amidst a very large wildfire, maybe the largest
there has ever been in this country,” said Shmulik Friedman, commander of the
Fire and Rescue Service’s Jerusalem District. “We are far from having control.”
Fire Chief Eyal Caspi confirmed that poor weather conditions
had grounded firefighting aircraft.
“Our goal is to save lives,” he said, stating the extreme
difficulty of aerial operations under the current conditions.
At least 23 people have received emergency treatment for
injuries, with fears that the number could rise. The military has been fully
deployed to assist civilian firefighters, as hundreds of homes and critical
infrastructure remain under threat.
In a televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
pointed out the gravity of the crisis: “We are now in a national emergency, not
just a local one. This wave of fires is a threat to human life, to
communities—and to Jerusalem itself.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz echoed the Prime Minister’s
concern and ordered the immediate mobilisation of all available forces, while
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has reached out to international allies,
including France, Spain, and the UK, for aerial firefighting support.
Amidst the national response, the Israeli government is
facing scrutiny over what critics say is a longstanding neglect of firefighting
preparedness.
Dov Ganem, head of the Israel Fire and Air Rescue
Association, claimed he has been warning about the country’s vulnerability for
nearly two decades.
Former Internal Security Ministry official Tomer Lotan also
revealed that previous requests to purchase Blackhawk firefighting helicopters
had been dismissed.
Meanwhile, the cause of the fires remains undetermined,
though police have arrested three suspects in connection with the blaze.
Investigations are ongoing.
Social media platforms have also become battlegrounds of
public opinion, with disturbing posts surfacing that appear to celebrate the
disaster.
Far-right politician Zvi Sukkot has controversially called
for curfews in Palestinian villages in the West Bank, suggesting the
possibility of arson.
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