Massive wildfires broke out near Jerusalem on Wednesday, forcing Israel to cancel its Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony as road closures and mass evacuations paralyzed the country, turning what should have been a festive celebration into a grim echo of the massive Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks.
“Our volunteers were searching through cars abandoned on the highway for bodies; it brought them back to Oct. 7,” United Hatzalah ambulance service President Eli Beer told Fox News Digital.
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The wildfires broke out in a forest near Jerusalem and rapidly spread with the aid of strong winds. The blaze caused the evacuation of at least 10 communities and the closure of the Route 1 highway, which connects Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
Israeli media reported that 163 fire and rescue crews and 12 aircraft had been deployed to combat the flames. At least 13 people were injured as of Wednesday afternoon, but no fatalities were reported. At least 2,900 acres have been burned by the blaze so far, according to the Jewish National Fund.
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The Jewish state was forced to cancel its annual torch-lighting ceremony to commemorate the signing of its declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, or the 5th of Iyar on the Jewish calendar, and instead aired footage of the rehearsal ceremony. Numerous other Independence Day festivities were canceled as Israeli firefighters struggled to bring the conflagration under control.
Earlier in the day, Palestinian terrorist group Hamas had been trying to incite residents of the West Bank to commit acts of arson via social media, and a man was arrested for allegedly trying to light a fire in an open field in southern Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post reported. It is unclear what started the fires.
Videos from the scene show flames engulfing hills near Jerusalem, burnt trees and the fire spreading down a large stretch of highway. Israel has appealed to the international community for help fighting the fires.
“Over the past few hours, I held a series of phone calls with my counterparts from Argentina, France, Italy, the UK, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Azerbaijan and North Macedonia, to request aerial assistance in dealing with the wildfires near Jerusalem,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted on X. “I thank all those countries that already promised assistance to fight the blaze and to those currently looking into our requests with great will to help. Israel is fortunate to have true friends who stand by her in times of need.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is consulting with senior members of his Cabinet about the fires. Beer told Fox News Digital that United Hatzalah teams evacuated a school and a facility for the elderly that housed many Holocaust survivors and residents on ventilators.
“Israel is really shaken by this,” he said.
Jerusalem District Fire Department Commander Shmulik Friedman told the press on Wednesday that the wildfires may be “the largest fire ever in the country” and warned that high winds could exacerbate the blaze later in the day. He also warned that Israel was “far from control” of the fires.
“We are in a time of national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilized to save lives and bring the fires under control,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
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