Hamas issued a provocative message through its Telegram channel, urging Palestinians to take violent action by starting fires targeting Jewish homes, farmland, and forests.
In its post, the terror group incited followers with the words: “Youth of the West Bank, youth of Jerusalem, and those inside Israel, set their cars ablaze… Gaza awaits the revenge of the free.”
On the same platform, the Jenin News Network joined the incitement campaign, publishing a call to “burn the groves near the settlements,” specifically directing their message at Palestinians in proximity to Israeli communities.
Amidst this call to violence, photos began circulating showing masked individuals igniting fields. One image posted as fires raged in central Israel depicted flames devouring a landscape with a town in the distance. The caption read: “Settlers’ homes will be ashes under the feet of the revolutionaries” and featured the hashtag “Burn settlers’ houses.”
These blazes, which erupted Wednesday morning in the Judean Hills, spread rapidly, extending through the greater Yerushalayim region as the day progressed and conditions worsened into the evening.
One particularly incendiary video urged: “O, youth of the West Bank… Let us be the flame of freedom which will not die. Let us make their night – a burning day. Let us bring back to them the nightmares of the occupation, so they know that every day is a struggle for the resistance. Set fires of freedom everywhere. We will not give in and will not give up until we burn every piece of stolen land.”
The term “Flames of the Flood” has been widely shared on social media in reference to the wildfires, deliberately invoking the Hamas-coined title for the October 7 massacre, “Flood of Al-Aqsa.”
The Twitter (X) account of “Akhbar Filastin,” which has over 112,000 followers, broadcasted a call encouraging West Bank residents to commit arson: “A call to the revolutionary youth and all the heroes of the West Bank.. Settlers’ homes and the surrounding areas are your target. Burn them with your Molotov cocktails and set fire to the grass near the settlement outposts.”
Jenin News, with an even larger audience of 320,000 followers, published a post saying: “Calls from youth to burn forests close to the raped (lands)… The (Zionist) entity is Burning! This is an opportunity for you, to increase the fires, youth of Jerusalem and the occupied interior, raise your spirits and make up your mind, their settlements, set them ablaze.”
It’s important to note that in much of Palestinian media discourse, the word “settlers” is used broadly to describe all Jewish citizens of Israel, and the term “settlements” often refers to any Israeli municipality or town.
Other posts circulating on these same channels featured graphics and slogans such as “exploit the heat of the summer and set fire to the forests of the settlers. There will be not one settler left in our land.” Another read: “let’s burn their settlements and make them a living hell for them… Don’t underestimate what you have and what you can do.”
One viral graphic bore the line: “Let the houses of the settlers become ash under the feet of the revolutionaries,” accompanied by the hashtag “Burn the Settlers’ Houses.”
A different post included a dramatic image of forest fires engulfing large areas with the caption: “For Gaza, which has never held back in its support for you: Go down there now and burn the forests and groves near the settlements!”
The campaign also extended to materials published from the Jenin refugee camp, where images of the Israeli flag engulfed in flames were released alongside the message: “set fire to the forests of the occupation and its settlements… kudos to our youth, go and burn, go and burn.”
Some channels used the moment to direct anger at the Palestinian Authority, condemning it for offering to assist Israel in handling the fires. “Heroes of the West Bank and Jerusalem – this is your day,” read one message. “Exploit these fires and make them grow larger. Gasoline and a spark can make the entity a fiery hell. The settlements and their forests are your targets.”
Amid the chaos, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Eyal Caspi elevated the national emergency readiness level to its highest alert, as crews struggled to contain multiple blazes.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has appealed to several European countries — Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, and Bulgaria — for firefighting support, though none of the aid is expected to arrive before dark.
As the fires grew in intensity and scope, the Israeli government announced that all Independence Day festivities would be canceled to prioritize safety.
Weather authorities had cautioned about the fire risk a day earlier, and the Fire and Rescue Authority had already advised postponing various events due to concerns that emergency services might not be able to protect vulnerable areas should fires erupt.
{Matzav.com}