The Israeli rescue services are on maximum alert after the outbreak of several violent fires, mainly west of Jerusalem. These fires, among the most important in the last decade, have already injured several light and caused significant damage.
This Tuesday, April 30, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu was sounding the alarm, warning that the flames could reach the surroundings, even the heart of the capital. “The west wind can easily push the fire to the peripheral districts of Jerusalem, even even in the city itself,” he said in a video broadcast by his office. “The absolute priority is now to defend Jerusalem,” he insisted, qualifying the situation “of national emergency”.
Firefighters, Eyal Caspi, said that Israel faces what could be “the biggest fire in a decade”. Faced with the magnitude of the claim, the Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, ordered the army intervention to support operations to fight against the flames, fueled by strong winds and high temperatures.
Magen David Adom’s rescue services (MDA) took care of at least 23 light injured and activated the maximum alert level. Medical teams, intensive care units and rapid intervention vehicles are mobilized, especially around the Neve Shalom and Eshtaol sectors.
Evacuations and cut roads
Israeli police ordered the closure of the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, while evacuating five localities along this axis, already affected by the flames a week ago. The fires are progressing in particular in the wooded areas between Latrun and Bet Shemesh, where several helicopters try to contain the fire.
On the spot, an AFP journalist observed soldiers evacuating civilians trapped in traffic jams, under thick black smoke. Some motorists, panicked, have abandoned their vehicle and leak. A biker unit was deployed to assist people stuck in traffic jams.
The entire emergency system remains mobilized while the situation remains critical.
