The fire near Yitzhar
The fire near Yitzharno credit

Firefighters and volunteers from the Samaria regional station are battling a blaze that broke out in a nature preserve near the community of Yitzhar Monday afternoon.

The fire spread thanks to winds in the area. Firefighters are attempting to keep the blaze from spreading to residents' houses.

Yitzhar residents have dealt with a wave of arson attacks by Arabs from the surrounding area recently. In one recent incident. Arabs from the village of Urif started a fire that required firefighting planes to put out.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, there has been a sharp increase in the number of arson attacks in Samaria.

In May, the number of arson attacks rose by nearly 100% compared to May 2023. There were 40 arson attacks in May 2024 compared to 21 the previous year.