Since Wednesday morning, a massive forest fire has been raging and rapidly spreading in the Judean Lowlands, leading to the evacuation of residents from nearby towns.
Currently, there are five active fire hotspots: Highway 3, which has been closed to traffic, Canada Park, Neve Shalom, Mesilat Zion, and Mitzpe Harel.
Firefighting forces called for a nationwide mobilization of ground forces due to the severity and scale of the event, which continues a wave of fires that struck the area last week.
119 firefighting crews are operating at the scene, supported by 10 firefighting aircraft and a helicopter deployed to combat the flames. A command post has been established at the IKEA branch in Eshtaol, and a staging area was set up near Latrun to manage the complex firefighting efforts.
The IDF Chief of Staff has instructed the Home Front Command, Israel Air Force, and all IDF units to provide full support to the police and Fire and Rescue Services in dealing with the fire.
Rescue forces from the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade, Jerusalem and Central District, along with Home Front Command firefighting teams, ground firefighting crews, Air Force fire trucks, and aircraft providing aerial imagery, have been assisting in the efforts to extinguish the fires in the Jerusalem Hills area and evacuate residents.
For the first on Wednesday evening, an IDF "Shimshon" aircraft, converted for firefighting purposes, was deployed, dispersing flame-retardant materials.
Israel has also requested international assistance from other countries, with firefighting aircraft expected to arrive from several nations, likely on Thursday morning due to flight restrictions.
Meanwhile, police have detained a suspect for alleged involvement in starting the fire, and he is currently being questioned.
Highway 1 has been closed in both directions from Sha'ar HaGai to Anava Interchange, where four vehicles caught fire. Nine people were rescued from the vehicles, and others were seen fleeing due to heavy smoke. Twelve people sustained minor injuries from smoke inhalation and were treated by MDA teams.
Highway 3 toward Nachshon has also been closed to traffic. Israel Railways halted service between Jerusalem and Ben Gurion Airport stations.
The settlements evacuated so far include: Shoresh, Neve Ilan, Yad HaShmona, Nataf, Neve Shalom, Beka’ot, Mitzpe Harel, Mesilat Zion, Tarum, Ta’oz, Eshtaol, Beit Meir, and Nachshon, as well as the Latrun area and Canada Park. Residents of Mevo Horon in Binyamin were also instructed to evacuate due to concerns of the fire spreading.
Teams from the Nature and Parks Authority began evacuating hikers from affected areas.
Hikers in these areas and in the Harei Yehuda National Park are asked to exit the area. The Khan Sha'ar Hagai heritage site is also closed to visitors.
Jerusalem District Fire Services Commander Shmulik Friedman stated that this may be "the largest fire in Israel’s history."
"The fire is extremely intense, one of the largest in Israel in recent years, perhaps ever. We are positioning at key points to contain the fire, but this is a complex event, and we are preparing defensively," he added.
Israel has known one larger fire in its history, the 2010 Carmel fire, which burned 24,000 dunams and claimed 44 lives.
