Minor violence as sweltering Yom Kippur comes to an end

2,220 people treated by medical teams for bike injuries, dehydration; several stone-throwing incidents reported

The Yom Kippur fast passed without major incident Wednesday, despite recent tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, with emergency teams primarly treating dehydration, heatstroke and knees scraped from bike accidents.

Following the conclusion of the holiday Wednesday evening, during which business as usual ground to a halt, Israelis returned to daily life, with cars back on the roads and public transportation resuming service.

Police and medical teams had been on high alert throughout the holiday to treat medical and other emergencies. Magen David Adom said it treated 2,220 people throughout the 25-hour fast.

Some 234 people were treated after fainting in the unseasonably high temperatures, while medics treated 282 cyclists, most of them children and teenagers, for minor injuries sustained on roads free of cars; 140 pregnant women were taken to hospitals to give birth.

During the fast, temperatures climbed into the upper 90°F range (over 32°C) throughout the parts of country, with Eilat reaching a sweltering 100°F (38°C). Tiberias, the Galilee, the Golan Heights and Jerusalem saw temperatures in excess of 86°F (30°C) on Tuesday.

Apart from several reports of isolated stone throwing, no exceptional events were noted during the holiday, despite the holiday coinciding with the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice.

The two holidays coincided for the second time in two years, and Israel tightened security in Jerusalem and the West Bank to be on alert for possible unrest.

The security measures came after Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians for several days at the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem last week, sparking an uptick in rock throwing and Molotov cocktail attacks in and around the capital.

According to Channel 2, police reported several instances of rock throwing in the capital, including two cases in Beit Hanina, Pisgat Ze’ev and Talpiot, all of which resulted in no injuries. A Magen David Adom Abulance sustained minor damage from a rock-throwing incident.

Overnight Tuesday, firefighters responded to a fire in a residential building in the Abu Tor neighborhood of Jerusalem, Channel 2 reported. Officials believe the fire was sparked by a firebomb thrown at the apartment building. No injuries or damage were reported.