A major wildfire on Wednesday forced the closure of the main highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, covering the city in gray skies and leading to hospitalizations for at least a dozen individuals.
Video footage depicted cars stuck near the advancing flames and captured images of the fire nearing a Catholic monastery.
The blaze, fueled by strong winds and hot, dry weather conditions, is currently under investigation. Assistance has been mobilized from across the region, with fire-fighting aircraft en route from Italy, Croatia, and North Macedonia, according to Israeli officials.
Helicopters are actively combating the fire from above, releasing water onto the flames, while additional firefighting teams are utilizing all-terrain vehicles.
“We aim to have 150 firefighting teams,” stated Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
This disaster struck during Israel’s Memorial Day, honoring fallen soldiers and victims of attacks, right before the national Independence Day celebrations. Numerous scheduled events, including the official ceremony in Jerusalem originally set at Mount Herzl near the fire zone, have been canceled, with a recording of the rehearsal being broadcast instead.
The majority of those hospitalized suffered from smoke inhalation, with another ten receiving treatment at the scene, as confirmed by Magen David Adom Ambulance services. Evacuations were enforced for residents in the fire zone, authorities reported.
Officials from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s monastery have stated it is currently too soon to determine whether any property damage has occurred, but confirmed that the religious communities were evacuated safely.
“We pray for everyone’s safety,” their statement emphasized.
As the flames approached the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, many abandoned their vehicles, choosing to flee on foot or with assistance from other motorists traveling away from the danger.
The memory of the 2010 catastrophic forest fire on Mount Carmel in northern Israel, which lasted four days and resulted in 44 deaths and the destruction of around 12,000 acres of woodland, still looms large.