European countries send planes to help Israel fight massive wildfire

Several European countries will send firefighting aircraft to Israel on Thursday to help extinguish a massive wildfire that began on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “We are now in a national emergency, not just a local one,” in a video statement recorded Wednesday evening, as the fire edged closer to Jerusalem.

“The priority right now is defending Jerusalem,” added Netanyahu.

Italy, Croatia, Spain, France and Romania are set to send planes to Israel, while several other countries, including North Macedonia and Cyprus are set to send water-dropping aircraft.

The fire was fuelled by hot and dry conditions, before being fanned by strong winds that quickly led flames to burn through a pine forest.

According to Israeli authorities, 10 firefighting planes were operating on Thursday morning, while a further eight aircraft are set to arrive over the course of the day.

The main motorway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv has reopened, after it was shut off on Wednesday due to flames encroaching on the road, leading drivers to abandon their cars and flee in terror.

Israel’s emergency services Magen David Adom Ambulance said that at least 12 people were treated in hospitals on Wednesday — mainly due to smoke inhalation — while another 10 people were treated in the field.

The timing of the wildfire coincides with Israel’s Independence Day, which is typically marked with large family cookouts in parks and forests.

This time round, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services have warned the public to stay away from parks or forests, and to be exceptionally careful while lighting barbecues.

In 2010, a massive forest fire burned for four days on northern Israel’s Mount Carmel, claiming 44 lives and destroying around 12,000 acres, much of it woodland.