BET SHEMESH: Thick plumes of smoke billowed above highways near occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday as firefighters rushed to control wildfires that have injured several people and prompted Defence Minister Israel Katz to declare the situation a “national emergency”.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue agency reported that hundreds of civilians were at risk from the worst brushfires in years, with Katz ordering troops to deploy to support firefighters. MDA said it had provided treatment to around 23 people, 13 of whom were taken to hospital, the majority suffering from smoke inhalation and burns. Among them were two pregnant women and two children less than a year old, it added. It said the alert level had been raised to the highest tier.

“We are facing a national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilised to save lives and bring the fires under control,” Katz said in a statement from his ministry.

Police closed the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires broke out again in an area ravaged by blazes a week ago. Communities home to thousands of people have been cleared out.

“Our aircraft can’t do anything right now due to the weather conditions... Our goal is to save lives,” fire chief Eyal Caspi said at a televised press conference. “We are apparently facing the largest fire in Israel in a decade.” The police said on X that they had deployed in force around Route 1 and the Jerusalem Hills, asking the public to “avoid travelling to the area”.

An agency journalist at the scene earlier on Wednesday said the blaze was sweeping through wooded areas near the main road between Latrun and Bet Shemesh, and that helicopters were working to extinguish the flames.

Bet Shemesh resident Shimon Bitton, 42, said his daughters had been evacuated from school.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2025