Two Israeli soldiers have died, and several others have been injured following a helicopter crash in the southern Gaza Strip last night. The Israeli military has termed the incident an ‘accident,’ according to local media reports.
The crash involved a UH-60 Black Hawk from the 123rd Squadron of the Israeli Air Force (IAF). The helicopter was on a mission to Rafah with a Unit 669 medical team to evacuate a critically injured combat engineer amidst ongoing conflict in the area.
The crash occurred around 12:30 a.m. during the final approach to land at an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) encampment in Rafah. Preliminary findings from the IAF investigation indicate that the helicopter struck the ground rather than landing smoothly. The initial probe confirmed that the crash was not caused by enemy fire and happened just before the aircraft was due to land, suggesting it did not fall from a significant height.
The impact caused severe damage to the helicopter. In total, two soldiers were killed, and eight others were injured. Among the seriously wounded are two pilots and a mechanic from the IAF’s 123rd Squadron, a reservist doctor, and a soldier from Unit 669. Additionally, another reservist doctor and a mechanic sustained moderate injuries.
The deceased soldiers have been identified as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Alloush, 37, from Tel Aviv, and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, 38, from Nes Harim. Both served in the IAF’s elite search and rescue Unit 669.
The combat engineer, who was injured separately during fighting in Rafah, was among those intended to be evacuated by the Black Hawk. The IAF continues to investigate the incident as they assess the situation and provide support to the affected personnel.
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