On Thursday morning, there were ten firefighting planes in service, according to the rescue service. Later in the day, they expect to have additional firefighting planes in the air, including from Cyprus and Italy.
Other countries that have promised to send planes, including so-called water bombers, are Croatia, Spain, Romania, and North Macedonia.
According to a spokesperson for Israel's fire and rescue authority, Tal Volvovitch, around 20 square kilometers of land have burned – but no homes. She says it is the largest fire in a decade. The newspaper Haaretz, on the other hand, reports that the fire is already "the largest in Israel's history". President Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a state of emergency.
The fire is not under control, but the rescue service was able to open several important roads on Thursday, including the one between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
On Wednesday, 23 people had received care for smoke and burn injuries.
