Massive fires continue to blaze across areas surrounding occupied Jerusalem for the second day in a row, after major roads were closed and thousands of Israelis were evacuated from several settlements.

Some roads have been reopened and settlers have been permitted to return, as Israeli firefighting services work to contain the fires.

“All routes have been reopened to traffic,” Israeli police said in a statement. Over 160 ground teams and a dozen aircraft have been deployed to fight the flames. Dozens of people including firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation and burns.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on 1 May that 18 people have been arrested on suspicion of arson.

The fire “is not a simple thing, there is harm to nature and also harm to people, and we’re holding 18 people at the moment who are suspected of arson, one of whom was caught in the act,” Netanyahu said, adding that he is “sure that we will succeed in dealing with this challenge as well. We’re doing everything we can to thwart the fire and rehabilitate what was destroyed.”

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem was arrested while attempting to set fire to open areas.

Despite Netanyahu’s claims, police sources told Hebrew media that only three have been detained on suspicion of arson. The sources said that the three are suspected of trying to set other fires and are not involved in the massive fires near Jerusalem.

At least 19,000 dunams of land, including entire parks, forests, and nature reserves have been engulfed by flames. Thousands of acres of land have been destroyed and several areas are still ablaze.

Ukraine, Spain, France, Romania, Croatia, Italy, and Cyprus have vowed to send planes to help fight the flames.

All events and celebrations for Israel’s “Independence Day” were canceled.

The Israeli government has been accused of taking the threat of wildfires lightly over the past years.

Dov Ganem, chairman of Israel’s Fire and Air Rescue Association, told the Walla news outlet that 18 years of warnings about a lack of preparedness to deal with wildfires have been met with “indifference” from policymakers.

In response to accusations of arson, Ramy Abdu of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said, “Israeli propaganda has chosen to blame its failures on Palestinians.”

“It was the Jewish National Fund (JNF) that decided to plant non-native trees unsuited to the climate – solely to cover up the traces of the Nakba. It was Netanyahu who chose to spend millions on his private luxury jet, the ‘Wings of Zion,’ instead of investing in a Supertanker firefighting aircraft.  It is the settlers who are repeatedly caught committing arson – racist acts of fire terrorism targeting Palestinian land, homes, and livelihoods,” he added.