On Independence Day, Israel Faces Some of the Worst Fires in Its History

Today is Israel’s Independence Day, a national holiday celebrating the founding of the nation in 1948. But instead of celebrating today, many people near Jerusalem are evacuating their homes in response to fast-spreading wildfires. 

The fires interrupted Israel’s annual memorial day for the country’s fallen, one of the most hallowed dates on the national calendar. Television broadcasts of solemn ceremonies in military cemeteries were replaced with footage of Israelis making their way to safety on foot along a major highway.

Many planned celebrations for Israel’s Independence Day on Thursday were canceled because of the expanding fires and inclement weather, including high winds. The cause of the wildfire was not immediately clear.

Eyal Caspi, the head of Israel’s fire and rescue service, called the blaze “one of the toughest events” that he could recall. He said firefighting planes were unable to function because of difficult conditions.

Video from the scene is reminiscent of some of the recent fires in California, with people choosing to abandon their cars and flee on foot.

🔴 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 | 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁, 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲: 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗗𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱

𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧▸ https://t.co/ZlCp1IDbA6 pic.twitter.com/58PMAEsJB3

— Jewish News Syndicate (@JNS_org) April 30, 2025

🚨🗞️MASSIVE WILDFIRE RAGES IN ISRAEL! 50+ fire crews, 10 planes, and a helicopter are fighting a monstrous blaze in Eshtaol Forest, Judean Hills. Nature needs our help! Share to spread awareness! #IsraelWildfire #SaveEshtaol pic.twitter.com/KVmi4dVriY

— NewsDaily🪖🚨🪖 (@XNews24_7) April 30, 2025

🇮🇱WILDFIRES NEAR JERUSALEM SPREAD FAST — ISRAEL CALLS FOR BACKUP

Massive brushfires are blazing again outside Jerusalem — and it’s gotten so bad, Israel just asked Greece, Croatia, Italy, Bulgaria, and Cyprus to send help putting them out.

The fires erupted (again) Wednesday… pic.twitter.com/a2yNR2vcTo

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 30, 2025

These are already being called some of the worst files in the nation’s history.

“This is perhaps the largest fire ever in the country,” Jerusalem District Fire Department Commander Shmulik Friedman told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. He warned that winds in excess of 60 miles an hour are expected “in the near future,” dramatically increasing the risk of the fires…

“We don’t know at this time what caused the fire. We don’t have even a bit of a clue. We are still not dealing with it,” Friedman said. “We are far from control.”…

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held a marathon of talks with other countries to bring in firefighting aircraft, according to his office, particularly nearby countries in Europe. Three aircraft from Italy and Macedonia will arrive “as soon as possible,” the National Security Council said in a statement.

At least ten communities in the area have been evacuated, authorities said.

US media stories about this don’t mention a cause for the fires other than to say (as above) that no one knows. But stories coming from the Jerusalem Post raise the possibility that the fires were not accidental but were intentionally set as an act of terrorism.

“It’s a terror attack on Israel,” Eli Beer, president of the United Hatzalah emergency response organization, told The Media Line. He noted that fires were started in 20 separate locations. A security source also confirmed to The Media Line that a terrorist act was likely behind the fires, adding that several people had been arrested.

A map circulating in Israeli security circles depicts the locations of the fires, almost all of which are marked on the Israeli side of the Green Line separating the West Bank from Israel and Gaza—not in the areas inhabited by Palestinians.

Here’s a map showing the location of the fires.

Map of fires 🔥 all over Israel right now, except in Palestinian territories.

Climate change is weird 🙄 pic.twitter.com/8r70TJbfpq

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) April 30, 2025

The timing of the fires, on Israel’s independence day, also seems suspicious and there’s no doubt that some Palestinian platforms were calling on terrorists to set “fires of freedom” today. It’s not clear if these calls came after the fires got started or before.

Hamas posted a message encouraging Palestinians to “burn whatever you can of groves, forests, and settler homes,” on Telegram on Wednesday.

“Youth of the West Bank, youth of Jerusalem, and those inside Israel, set their cars ablaze… Gaza awaits the revenge of the free,” the terrorist organization wrote.

Earlier, the Jenin News Network Telegram channel called on Palestinians to “burn the groves near the settlements” in a post on Telegram on Wednesday…

“O, youth of the West Bank,” called one inciting video. “Let us be the flame of freedom which will not die. Let us make their night – a burning day. Let us bring back to them the nightmares of the occupation, so they know that every day is a struggle for the resistance. Set fires of freedom everywhere. We will not give in and will not give up until we burn every piece of stolen land.”

A few people have already been arrested on suspicion of arson.

A 50-year-old resident of East Jerusalem’s Umm Tuba neighborhood was arrested on suspicion of attempting to set fire to vegetation in southern Jerusalem, police said.

Law enforcement carried out the arrest after receiving a tip that someone had seen a person attempting to start a fire, a police spokesman said. The suspect was detained for questioning at the Oz police station in East Jerusalem.

Police said the suspect attempted to flee from police officers but was nabbed after a brief pursuit. Cops said they found a lighter, cotton wool and other flammable materials on his person.

The former US Ambassador to Israel posted this video which shows a bunch of trees which seem to have been set on fire intentionally. The bases of the trees are burned up but the branches seem untouched.

Fires don’t start naturally from the roots of trees — yet that is exactly where they are originating at this Israeli site. Terrorists are starting fires in the base of these old olive trees. They claim they want to be stewards of the land but all they know how to do is to destroy… pic.twitter.com/IhM9R8E916

— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) April 30, 2025

Some extremists online were hoping for gasoline to rain from the sky.

Terror supporter prays for gasoline to fuel the fires in Israel.

God delivered rain. pic.twitter.com/xAFcSJkTQn

— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 30, 2025

That led to this humorous exchange on a serious topic.

The machine doesn’t always work!

— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 30, 2025

It seems pretty clear at least some arson was involved here. Hopefully we’ll have a clearer picture tomorrow how this started and why.