Nof Hagalil fire under control, arson suspected in some blazes
Some 5,000 people were forced to evacuate their houses on Friday as dozens of wild fires broke out across the country and some continued to blaze on Saturday, although most residents were allowed to return home by Saturday morning.
Firefighters gained control of one fire near Nof Hagalil on Saturday night after 13 fire teams, assisted by firefighting aircraft worked to put out the flames throughout the day. An investigation was opened to learn the cause of that fire.
While most fires are believed to have been the result of the extreme heat on Friday, security officials have raised concerns that some blazes in the West Bank, including a fire in Maoz Zvi, were the result of arson by Palestinians.
Dozens of houses throughout the country suffered damage and dozens of people needed treatment for smoke inhalation, among them were at least 10 firefighters.
IDF soldiers were called in to help contain some of the fires and to assist in evacuating people from threatened residential areas.
On Friday morning, some 25 fire crews, including volunteers, were called to the upscale Kfar Haoranim settlement near Modi’in to contain wildfires that caused severe damage to at least one house. Air support was also called in and rescue services ordered all residents to evacuate as more firefighting units were called. A special unit was set up to coordinate all arriving security and aid forces but residents were allowed to return to their homes later in the afternoon.
Throughout Friday night,
firefighters attempted to control the blaze which had spread over two sectors of land around Nof Hagalil and Har Devora.
Teams were rotated to allow firefighters to rest but those who were replaced returned to confront the blazes in the early morning.
Nof Hagalil residents who live near the wildfire were asked to evacuate but at least one house was engulfed in flames, and four people required treatment for smoke inhalation.
Eight fire teams and four aircraft worked to douse a blaze near Mount Dov on the northern border and a smaller fire was also reported near the Illut- Tzipori junction, but that required only four teams for the containment effort.
More fires were reported in additional areas, including in the West Bank settlement of Mevo Dotan and in Bat Hefer and troops were called in to both these areas where an evacuation was also ordered.
The Islamic Movement in
Israel and the Joint List Party set up an emergency center to provide support to fire victims in the Nazareth area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted with Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, acting police commissioner Moti Cohen, Fire Commissioner Dedi Simchi and Meir Ben- Shabbat, the head of the National Security Council.
Netanyahu said a call for international assistance should be considered, if necessary but Cohen indicated that, thanks to the coordinated efforts of police and Home Front Command, this would not be required.
President Reuven Rivlin took to Twitter to show his support for the firefighters.
“I’ve been anxiously following the updates on the wildfires spreading across several areas in the country. My heart goes out to the residents who were forced to evacuate their homes during these challenging days.
“I send my sincere supportto
our firefighters. I see how hard you all are working to contain the spreading fire and pray that the situation ends as soon as possible,” the president tweeted.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai told Nof Hagalil Mayor Ronen Plot that Tel Aviv’s municipality would donate NIS 100,000 towards supplying evacuees with food Saturday afternoon, according to Ynet News.
Joint List leader Ayman Odeh addressed the nationwide fires and the reports indicating Palestinian responsibility, blaming the government for neglecting its firefighting services.
“The fires in northern Israel today, just like the coronavirus, do not differentiate between Jews and Arabs,” Odeh tweeted. “Before the defense establishment chooses to falsely blame Palestinians – as they have in the past – the government should stop and see how it has simply neglected its fire and rescue
Some 845 patients were deemed in serious condition Saturday night, including 232 who were intubated.
The death toll rose to 1,914 – 12 people died between midnight and press time on Saturday.
Among the fatalities was a police officer from the Tel Aviv District, Channel 12 reported. He contracted the virus in the line of duty and was later hospitalized and intubated at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center, where he eventually passed away.
If the infection rate drops to 2,000 new patients per day and a reproduction rate ( R) of .08 or lower is achieved, the government is expected to approve the start of its exit strategy. Coronavirus Commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu and the Health Ministry have proposed a nine- stage exit plan that would take four months to complete.
Over the weekend, Gamzu told Channel 12 that there is a decline in morbidity and that the country could see a first stage of reduced restrictions as early as this week.
“I am definitely in favor of reducing restrictions,” Gamzu told the station. “We think there will be some specific areas in which the lockdown will have to continue” in its current format.
Although he said there could be 10 to 15 “red” cities or neighborhoods that would not open up with the rest of the country. Currently, there are still 14 cities that meet Gamzu’s red zone criteria that was laid out in September as part of his “traffic light” program.
Those cities, currently, are Ashdod, Bnei Brak, Elad, Hadera, Lod, Modi’in Illit, Netanya, Netivot, Ramle, Rechasim, Rehovot, and some neighborhoods in Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem. Of course, as the infection rate drops, their designation could change.
Also, on Thursday, the country’s head of Public Health, Sharon Alroy- Preis, said that in the first stages of the easing the whole country would be viewed as a red zone regardless of specific infection rates in various cities.
Gamzu said in interviews that schools would not open in red areas.
Some of the ministers have pushed back about how long the exit plan is expected to take, especially that children in grades five through 12 would not return to their classrooms before some time in January, if all goes as planned.
There is a possibility that some stages in the plan could be combined, but a decision on this would likely only be made at a later date.
If the country does begin to open up, the first stage will include opening preschools,
allowing non- customer facing businesses to operate in full, resuming flights to and from Ben- Gurion Airport and abolishing the one kilometer limit on travel from home.
This stage would also probably allow protests to resume in their previous form, families to meet, beaches to open and restaurants to open for takeaway.
Two weeks are expected to pass between every stage of the exit strategy. Grades one through four open in stage two, as well as synagogues. Grades five through 12 would open in stage seven, which would likely be around January 10.
Education Minister Yoav Gallant said he plans to push to change this outline, bringing with him to the meeting on Tuesday statistics that show that in non- haredi schools the infection rate is low. According to numbers he prepared last week in conjunction with the Health Ministry, 51% of infected students were from the haredi sector.
Non- haredi schools throughout the country had only between 3% and 9% of school infections. A report on Channel 12 showed that out of 510 schools, only 138 general or non- Jewish schools had infection. Some 372 haredi schools had sick students.
Finally, Gamzu visited Julis, a Druze village and local council in the North, on Saturday and addressed the importance of allowing local authorities to lead in the battle against coronavirus.
“Authorities need to
receive a budget, resources, authority, help and understanding,” Gamzu said. “One of the most important things is to make the government understand that local authorities can manage their coronavirus response.”
Last week, some 200 mayors participated in an online meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the National Security Council and the public security minister. During that meeting, it was decided that Haim Bibas, head of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, will attend coronavirus cabinet meetings.
Gamzu’s traffic light program heavily relies on the work of municipalities.
Gamzu was hosted in Julis by Shaykh Mowafaq Tarif, leader of Israel’s Druze community, who reviewed the steps the community has taken to stop gatherings, such as large weddings and local annual celebrations, to help reduce infection. He said he had instructed that events do not take place in people’s homes but rather in event halls and according to Health Ministry regulations.
At the end of the visit, Gamzu stressed the importance of being screened for coronavirus and called on the Druze leaders to encourage community members to get tested. •
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It was the first public event
Trump has held since he was released from the hospital on Monday, when some observers watching his return to the White House said he appeared at times to be short of breath.
The White House has released videos and Trump has called into television shows since then, but this was the public’s first chance to see the president live.
The White House has not released the results of Trump’s latest COVID- 19 test, and has declined to say when he last tested negative. A White House spokeswoman said on Friday that Trump would be tested for COVID- 19 and would not go out in public if it was determined he could still spread the virus.
Scott Atlas, the doctor advising Trump, declined to comment on Trump’s last test when approached by Reuters outside the event cordon. He was not wearing a mask.
Trump, who has campaigned on a law- and- order theme during recent months of sometimes violent protests for racial justice, told Saturday’s gathering that the Republican Party had the support of America’s police forces.
“We have law enforcement watching,” he said. “We’re on the side of right.”
Trump’s efforts to portray himself as tough on crime have had little impact on his standing in national opinion polls, which show him trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden by double digits. But the gap between the two candidates is narrower
in the battleground states that may determine who wins the White House.
On Monday, Trump plans a campaign rally in central Florida, a must- win state for his hopes of a second term. His campaign also announced events in Pennsylvania and Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday. •