International aid from the global community -- including neighboring countries Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, and Bulgaria -- is not expected to arrive until Thursday morning, as fires continue to rage across the country on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar is conducting a "marathon" of calls with international counterparts, with an emphasis on European countries.
Sa'ar spoke with the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Argentina, Spain, North Macedonia, and Azerbaijan to request assistance in dealing with the wildfires.
"By order of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić, a Canadair CL-415 aircraft from the Croatian Air Force with two crews, a total of 11 members of the Croatian Armed Forces, will be sent to the State of Israel to assist in extinguishing the fire," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Aid from Cyprus is expected to arrive first, and three Canadair planes are expected to arrive from Italy and Croatia, which may not arrive until Thursday morning.
The Spanish, French, and Ukrainian foreign ministers each announced that they would send planes of aid to assist in the efforts.
Firefighters have closed Highway 1 in Jerusalem to traffic and are attempting to contain the fire there, the authority said in a statement. The public has been urged to stay away from the area, and people have begun abandoning their cars on the road.
Around 119 fire crews, 10 firefighting planes, and a helicopter have been deployed to extinguish the blaze. The Israel Air Force and Unit 669 are also on standby to help monitor and combat the fire. Rescue workers have rescued nine people from vehicles caught in the heavy smoke. Three private vehicles are burning at the scene without any trapped individuals.
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is en route to the area of the fires.
The authority noted that strong winds in the area are contributing to the rapid spread of the fire.
Authorities warn of fires spreading
KKL-JNF fire brigades are also on the scene, trying to contain the fire from spreading towards the settlements.
Due to the fire, the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Latrun memorial site has been stopped, and police have worked to clear crowds from the area.
The wildfire comes just a week after a massive wildfire event in the same area, which consumed about 10,000 dunams (2,470 acres) of natural forest, woodland, and open area.
Eshtaol Forest comprises around 12,000 dunams of land (4.5 square miles) near Beit Shemesh. To the east of the forest is the Forest of the Martyrs, which was planted as a memorial to those who died in the Holocaust and contains six million trees, symbolizing the six million Jews who were killed.
This is a developing story.