Israel’s ambassador to Greece Ali Yahya, called Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakogianni and offered her Israel’s help.

The firefighters will leave on the first available flight to Greece.

With the death toll put at 53 so far, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has declared the fires to be a "national catastrophe" and asked for help from the EU.

He has ordered flags to be flown at half-mast at official buildings. An undetermined number of people are unaccounted for, authorities said, saying fears of an even higher death toll, while dozens of individuals, mostly in the southern Peloponnese, were hospitalized.

Officials said Sunday they have arrested and charged two individuals in connection with the fires that have razed dozens of villages .

Thousands of hectares of crops, pasture land and forests were scorched.

On Monday, Greece was also expecting four firefighting planes from Serbia and two from Spain, while two helicopters each were to arrive from Germany and Holland.

Israel has a long history of helping Greece in natural disasters. First in 1953 when an earthquake leveled the islands of Cephalonia. The Israel fleet that was on maneuvers in the Mediterranean was the first aid to arrive to the Island.

During the last eight years Israel sent a unit from its home front command to assist after a devastating earthquake hit Athens.