𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Israeli Independence Day is a national celebration, also known as Yom Ha’atzmaut, in which the country commemorates the Declaration of Independence which took place on 14 May 1948.

In order to avoid conflicts with the Jewish Sabbath, the day is rarely celebrated on the fifth of Iyar – the second month in the Jewish calendar – itself, instead falling a couple of days before or after.

This year the celebration began on the evening of 30 April, extending into 1 May.

It is typically celebrated with large family cookouts in parks and forests.

Here are all the countries that have reportedly spoken about sending aid over to Israel amid the Jerusalem wildfires

• Cyprus
• North Macedonia
• Greece
• Croatia
• Azerbaijan
• Ukraine
• Argentina
• France
• Italy
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Portugal
• Czech Republic
• Sweden
• Romania

• Fire and Rescue services have said the exact cause of these wildfires remains unknown to them.
• We don’t know the exact number of people who have been arrested. While prime minister Netanyahu suggested 18 people were arrested on suspicion of arson, police reportedly have only arrested three.
• It’s yet to be determined how many people have been affected by the wildfires, or the total number of people injured.

Jerusalem Municipality will reportedly continue their Independence Day events tonight as scheduled after they were initially cancelled.

Stages will operate from 9pm and the light rail will operate until 2am, according to N12 news channel.

• Wildfires sparked in the outskirts of Jerusalem around midday on Wednesday and have gradually spread across the hills.
• It was fuelled by hot, dry conditions and fanned by strong winds that quickly whipped up the flames burning through pine forests.
• Several communities were evacuated as a precaution as the smoke turned the skies over Jerusalem grey. They were allowed to return following assessments by local authorities on Thursday.
• The fire took place over the country’s Independence Day, cancelling many celebrations as security forces were diverted towards the fire.
• The Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem highway had to be temporarily closed as smoke billowed over the hills, causing people to get out of their cars and run away.
• 23 people, including children, have been treated for smoke inhalation and burns as the wildfire continues.
• Benjamin Netanyahu declared a national emergency and called on international support for foreign aid.
• The lines of Cyprus, North Macedonia, Greece, Croatia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ukraine and France all offered foreign aid with many sending over firefighting aircrafts.

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, has said the fire is mostly contained.

But she added that workers were struggling to plow buffer zones and fire breaks as the same spots ignited repeatedly in the quickly changing winds.

Gold said climate change, which has resulted in decreased rainfall in the region, contributed to the fire’s ferocity. “Of course when there’s a series of drought years, it’s a fertile ground for fires,” she said.

As of Thursday morning, Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom (MDA) provided treatment to 23 people suffering from smoke inhalation and burns, including two pregnant women and two infants less than a year old. 13 of the patients had to be taken to hospital, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Fire and Rescue Services said there was a “significant effort” being made by the IDF and the Interior Command to create hot lines using heavy TSA tools in order to help protect the settlements from the spread of fire.