Hamas Says Arson 'Legitimate' Method of War, Denies Setting Israel Fires

A senior official of the Palestinian Hamas movement has not ruled out the possibility of using arson in its ongoing war with Israel, which is currently beset by what officials describe as the worst wildfires in the nation's history.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that 18 suspects have been arrested for alleged arson amid the inferno, which has spread across more than 5,000 acres in the foothills of Jerusalem over the past two days. The figure was disputed by unnamed police sources cited by Israeli media, including Israeli Army Radio and the Times of Israel, which counted three individuals detained for attempted arson at separate sites unrelated to the fires in Jerusalem.

One of those arrested was a resident of East Jerusalem's Umm Tuba neighborhood, said by the Israel Police to have been detained while in possession of a lighter, cotton wool and other incendiary materials. Another detainee is from East Jerusalem's Issawiya neighborhood, said to have been held on suspicion of inciting acts of arson online.

The arrests came amid calls from some Palestinian social media accounts to set fire to Israeli property in the midst of the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) ongoing operations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

But Basem Naim, a Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson, cast further suspicion on the claims by the Israeli government while denying any direct participation in the fires.

"We have no knowledge of the identities of the detainees, nor do we have prior knowledge of these activities," Naim told Newsweek. "We doubt the occupation's narrative because we are accustomed to their lies and their evasion of political and legal responsibility for their failures, placing them on other parties. I do not believe that any of the detainees have any connection to Hamas."

Asked about whether the group would support such acts, however, Naim said that "resisting the occupation by all means and methods, including armed resistance, is a legitimate right of the people under occupation, and we call for and encourage this."

Costs Of War

The historic wildfires come in the midst of Israel's longest and deadliest war to date. The conflict began when Hamas led a large-scale surprise attack from Gaza on October 7, 2023, sparking a war that has spread across several fronts in the Middle East as the Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance also intervened.

About 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the initial attack led by Hamas, according to Israeli figures. Since then, the IDF has placed the number of soldiers killed throughout the conflict at 408.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has recorded more than 52,400 deaths, without distinguishing between combatants and non-combatants. More than 4,000 deaths as a result of Israeli attacks have been registered by the Lebanese Health Ministry, along with hundreds more killed in Syria, according to media, monitor and official sources there.

Israel and Hamas have frequently accused one another of committing war crimes throughout the conflict, including the targeting of civilians and infrastructure protected under international law.

While debates persist over the application of the laws of war to acts of arson—especially in the context of resistance against occupation—such acts are generally considered prohibited under international humanitarian law when they deliberately target civilians or civilian property rather than lawful military objectives.

Israeli officials have yet to officially determine a specific cause for the fires, which have led to the evacuations of several communities and the closure of a major highway linking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. At least 22 people have been hurt, according to Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service.

IDF Intervenes

Firefighters continued to battle the blaze through Thursday as muted celebrations were held for Israel's 77th Independence Day.

The IDF said in a statement Thursday that it "is continuing to operate with the Israeli Police and firefighting service at the locations in which the fire had spread over the last day."

The contributions include the deployment of personnel from the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade as well as a Home Front Command reserve firefighting brigade to assist in firefighting efforts and members of the 9900 Intelligence Unit to conduct surveillance flights over the affected areas. The IDF's Technology and Logistics Directorate is providing additional support, including through the provision of heavy engineering tools and water tanks.

The Israeli Air Force, meanwhile, was said to be providing "ongoing assistance through its firefighting units operating alongside specialized aerial firefighting equipment from elite units."

Stoking Tensions

While no official cause for the fires has been identified, a number of prominent voices in Israel have weighed in on the matter.

Netanyahu spoke Thursday of both "natural disasters and man-made disasters," accusing Palestinians of fanning the flames, if not outright starting them.

"Our neighbors who claim to love this land are ready with their propaganda, with their incitement on Palestinian networks, to talk about burning the land," Netanyahu said. "We love the land. We protect the land!"

Reached for the comment on the potential affiliation of the arson suspects to Palestinian factions, the IDF referred Newsweek to the Israel Security Agency, also known as Shin Bet.

A senior Israeli security official told Newsweek that "the IDF remains fully prepared to confront any threats on all fronts, with the unwavering mission of protecting the citizens of Israel."

Netanyahu's son, Yair, suggested that Israeli left-wing activists could be behind the blazes, claiming in an X post Wednesday that they have "been frantically trying in recent weeks to cancel Independence Day celebrations and the torch-lighting ceremony" at a time when his father faced growing protests from the opposition and families of hostages held by Hamas since the group's October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.

Israeli settlers have also been accused in the past of arson attacks in the West Bank, where they have increasingly clashed with Palestinian residents amid the conflict.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has previously defended settlers accused of violent attacks, including arson, commended the Israel Police on Thursday for "working determinedly to stop arsonists and instigators of fires on social media."

"These are terrorists for all intents and purposes," Ben-Gvir wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "They must be treated accordingly, the heaviest punishment available under the law must be applied to them, and the law that we passed to deport terrorist families must be ruthlessly implemented - also towards their families."

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared the fires to be "part of the climate crisis, which must not be ignored," urging for greater legislation and preparation for such natural disasters during his Independence Day address on Thursday.

A number of Israeli experts and opposition members have accused Netanyahu and his administration of deflecting blame toward supposed arsonists while having inadequately prepared for potential wildfires and having slashed the budget for required to sufficiently respond to the threat.

"Every time Netanyahu governments fail to prepare for fires, allegations of 'arson' arise, and they usually quickly turn out to be a hoax," Yesh Atid party Knesset Member Vladimir Beliak wrote on X on Wednesday. "This is the method. Don't take an ounce of responsibility for anything. Ever."

Ceasefires Uncertain

Israel fought foes and fires simultaneously last June after the IDF blamed rocket fire from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement for sparking a massive blaze in the north.

While the two sides reached a truce last November, Israeli forces have continued to conduct cross-border operations. The IDF announced Thursday that it killed two Hezbollah personnel, including a member of the group's elite Radwan unit and an intelligence operative in Lebanon.

Israel and Hamas also reached a ceasefire agreement in January, the first stage of what a three-phase deal outlined by then-President Joe Biden in May and pushed forward by the incoming administration of President Donald Trump. Efforts to extend or advance talks toward the second phase quickly unraveled, however, leading Netanyahu to order the resumption of operations in Gaza in March.

While Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani hinted Sunday at modest progress in efforts to establish a new ceasefire and prisoner swap deal, a notion bolstered by unnamed sources cited the following day by Reuters, Naim told Newsweek on Thursday that "there is nothing new in the negotiations."

Update 5/1/2025 5:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional context surrounding the debate over the wildfires in Israel.

Update 5/1/2025 6:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a new headline.