A fire swept through the Samaria community of Havat Gilad near Shechem over Shabbat, destroying 15 homes, 10 businesses and more than 30 structures, damaging infrastructure and forcing the evacuation of approximately 100 families.
Forty-one firefighting and rescue teams, supported by additional forces, worked at the scene to extinguish the blaze and bring it under control.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan stated there was a "very strong suspicion" The blaze resulted from arson, saying the fire began after a burning object was thrown from a moving vehicle into a nearby field of dry brush.
In a joint statement, however, the Israel Police, Israel Fire and Rescue Authority and the IDF Spokesperson said their preliminary conclusion was that the fire originated from a single ignition point after a cigarette butt was thrown from a vehicle onto the roadside, igniting dry vegetation. They said the investigation is ongoing and security forces continue efforts to locate the vehicle involved.
The Havat Gilad community reported that Arabs in nearby villages launched fireworks while firefighters battled the blaze, describing the displays as celebratory.
Community administrator Moshe Chachmon said evacuation began within minutes of the fire being detected on Shabbat. The blaze destroyed an entire row of homes. He called it "a miracle" That no residents were injured, though a firefighter sustained moderate injuries.
Chachmon said he believed the fire was "absolutely" An arson attack, despite the authorities' preliminary conclusion. Evacuated families were temporarily staying with relatives or at community centers. Many lost all their belongings alongside their homes.
"We are now working to ensure that families have homes, clothing and other basic essentials," He said.
An online crowdfunding campaign raised more than 5 million shekels in about 12 hours.
Dagan called on the security establishment and government to apprehend those responsible and provide "a comprehensive response to the phenomenon of arson." He stated: "From here I say to those barbarians who celebrated with fireworks, and to those who have carried out these arson attacks throughout this period: We will never be broken."
The community was established in 2002 and named in memory of Gilad Zar, the Samaria Regional Council security coordinator who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist shooting attack the previous year. Israel's Cabinet voted unanimously in February 2018 to legalize it.