Two Israeli Soldiers Killed In Gaza Helicopter Crash

According to an initial probe by the Israeli air force, a UH-60A Yanshuf from the 123rd Squadron flew to Rafah with a Unit 669 medical team late on September 10 to evacuate a combat engineer seriously wounded in fighting in the area.

During the final landing stage inside an Israeli army encampment in Rafah, the helicopter impacted the ground instead of touching down correctly. The probe alleges that the helicopter was not hit by enemy fire, and the crash occurred moments before it was supposed to land, meaning it did not fall from a significant height.

The helicopter was still heavily damaged in the crash as evident by video footage that was posted to social networks later in the day.

As a result of the crash, two soldiers were killed and another eight were taken to hospitals, four of them in serious condition. Among the four seriously injured was the combat engineer who was injured separately.

Israeli air force Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar ordered a probe to determine why the helicopter impacted the ground in the encampment instead of landing correctly.

This was the second time Israel has acknowledged losing a helicopter since the start of the war on the Gaza Strip last October. The first helicopter, a S-65C-3 Yas’ur, was destroyed during a battle with fighters from the Hamas Movement in the Israeli settlement of Be’eri near the Palestinian enclave in the very first days of the war.

Hamas and other armed factions have not yet commented on the helicopter crash. More information on the so-called incident could surface in the upcoming few days.

Posted on SF