Jerusalem wildfires live updates: Israel says blaze is largely contained as help arrives from across Europe

The major wildfires near Jerusalem have been largely contained, said the Jewish National Fund, which manages forests in the country, though firefighting efforts continue to address remaining hotspots.

Evacuation orders have been lifted, and major highways, including the main route between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, have reopened.

International assistance has bolstered firefighting efforts, with countries such as Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Ukraine, Romania, North Macedonia, and Cyprus sending firefighting aircraft.

Israel’s fire and rescue authority lifted the evacuation order on approximately a dozen towns in the Jerusalem hills on Thursday.

Three Catholic religious communities who were forced to evacuate from their properties on Wednesday were also able to return on Thursday, said Farid Jubran, the spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate. He said their agricultural lands, including vineyards and olive trees, suffered heavy damage, and some of the buildings were damaged. But there were no injuries, and historic churches were not affected.

The main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv reopened on Thursday, a day after the flames had encroached on the road, forcing drivers to abandon their cars and flee in terror. On Thursday morning, broad swathes of burned areas were visible from the highway, while pink anti-flame retardant dusted the top of burned trees and bushes. Smoke and the smell of fire hung heavy in the air.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that 18 people had been arrested on suspicion of starting fires outside Jerusalem, with one allegedly caught in the act of arson, as the country battled possibly its worst ever wildfires.

“This is perhaps the largest fire ever in the country,” Jerusalem’s district fire department commander Shmulik Friedman told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

While the exact cause of the fires near Latrun was still unclear, Mr Netanyahu said the blaze was “not a simple thing”.

My colleague Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

The fires comes after a massive forest fire claimed 44 lives when it burned for four days on northern Israel’s Mount Carmel in 2010.

That blaze also destroyed around 12,000 acres, much of it woodland.

Climate change, which has resulted in decreased rainfall in the region, contributed to the fire’s ferocity, according to one of the organisations that manages Israel’s forests.

Anat Gold, the director of Israel’s central region for the Jewish National Fund, known by its Hebrew acronym KKL, which manages forests, plants trees, and promotes settlement in the Holy Land, said: “Of course when there’s a series of drought years, it’s a fertile ground for fires.”

Israel often sees fires in the summertime, but such strong fires this early in the year are unusual. Many of Israel’s forests are planted rather than natural.

One of the organisations that manages Israel’s forests said that the fires had perfect conditions to spread: a winter with little rain, hot and dry weather, and exceptionally strong winds that are shifting direction constantly.

5,000 acres of land destroyed by the wildfires.

At least 15 countries offering to send aid to Israel to quash the flames.

At least 23 people treated by the Magen David Adom for smoke inhalation and burns as of Thursday morning.

21 firefighters slightly injured from fighting the blaze.

Benjamin Netanyahu said 18 people were arrested on suspicion of igniting the blaze, while police have said they only arrested three people on suspicion of arson.