A video clip has been circulating on social media showing a fire engine overturning, allegedly belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense, while on its way to extinguish fires that broke out in the forests of Jerusalem. The video was accompanied by the following text: “Palestinian Authority vehicles on their way to help them with the fire.”
Kashif verified the authenticity of the video via Google Image search, found that it is old and the claim is satirical. The video, which went viral in 2018, is of a fire truck overturning in the Italian city of Melegnano during a demonstration designed to demonstrate the speed and professionalism of firefighters in dealing with blazes.
The video was posted on YouTube by an account called Ausbildungsvideos Feuerwehr on 2/7/2018, with the title: “Fire truck rolls over during training.” The description added: “This video shows the accidents and unexpected events that can happen to any firefighter while performing their duties. This is intended to serve as an example for other soldiers so that they can act with greater caution and knowledge in their operations.”
Al-Mowaten newspaper also published a screenshot from the video on 3/7/2018, explaining that the video documents the moment a fire truck flipped over while participating in a firefighters’ demonstration in the Italian city of Melegnano, demonstrating the speed and professionalism of this unit in dealing with fires.
The Israeli Channel 10 reported that the Palestinian Authority offered the Israeli government assistance in extinguishing fires approaching settlements in Jerusalem, but the Israeli government has not responded to the proposal. Meanwhile, the Israeli government appealed to neighboring countries on Wednesday for assistance in extinguishing the ongoing fires in large areas of Jerusalem, the plains, and Highway 1.
On 30/4/2025, massive fires broke out in the forests of the Jerusalem Mountains, considered the largest in the history of the Israeli government, devouring more than 24,000 dunams of land and leading to the evacuation of nine settlements and the closure of the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. A state of emergency was declared, and the planned celebrations of the “establishment of Israel” were canceled. Ninety-three crews, supported by local and international aircraft, participated in the extinguishing operation, while dozens were injured. Eighteen people were arrested on charges of deliberately starting the fires, amid warnings that climate change, drought, and winds contributed to the exacerbation of the disaster.
| Sources of Claim | Sources of Verification |
| lebanon.eye Tulkarm Net | Videos of education Firewehr Citizen’s electronic newspaper Kan Israeli channel Al Jazeera channel |
