Israel wildfires latest news: Firefighters winning 30-hour battle as Jerusalem fires largely contained

Israeli officials have said the wildfires are some of the largest they have experienced.

Here is where those fires have burned:

Seven countries sent firefighting aid to Israel as emergency services battled large blazes.

Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Ukraine, and Romania sent planes to help battle the fires, while North Macedonia and Cyprus sent water-dropping aircraft.

Israel’s fire and rescue authority said the fires is the most significant the country has seen in a decade.

The fire has burned nearly 6,000 acres, but the authority’s spokesperson Tal Volvovitch said the wildfire has “miraculously” not damaged any homes.

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.

The scale of destruction in this fire was similar to that 2010 blaze, but the Jerusalem hills fire did not cause serious injuries.

As firefighters gained control over the massive wildfires that scorched the hills west of Jerusalem, Israeli authorities on Friday turned their focus to the cause of the blaze which has prompted conflicting statements from top officials.

Fire and Rescue Services have pointed to hiker negligence as the likely trigger. The blaze is believed to have started in the Eshtaol forest near Mesilat Zion, an area that was crowded with hikers on Wednesday, Israel’s Memorial Day.

However, some have speculated that the blaze was a result of deliberate arson, with several people arrested over suspicion of starting the fires.

Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered the dispatch of some 14,000 security personnel across Israel, amid suspicion arson could be behind the fires, according to Anadolu Ajansı.

Yair Netanyahu, the son of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared to suggest that left-wing activists could be behind the large fires raging in the Jerusalem hills, according to Israeli media.

“Something here is suspicious,” wrote the premier’s son on X.

“The Kaplanist left has been frantically trying in recent weeks to cancel Independence Day celebrations and the torch-lighting ceremony.”

The fires near Jerusalem have burned over 6,000 acres of land, making them among the most significant in Israel’s recent history.

The affected areas include extensive pine forests, agricultural lands, and parts of the Eshtaol Forest near Mesilat Zion.

As wildfire containment efforts continue, authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on lighting fires in open areas, effective until May 7, to prevent further outbreaks.

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog says that the fires outside Jerusalem are part of a larger climate issue that we must not ignore.

“This fire is part of the climate crisis, which must not be ignored,” he said during an Independence Day ceremony at his residence.

“It requires us to prepare for serious and significant challenges and to make decisions – including appropriate legislation.”

Mr Herzog thanked the firefighters who have been “risking their lives for almost a full day now to save lives and contain the great fire”.