Israeli helicopter crashes near Rafah

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that an Israeli Air Force helicopter crashed in the vicinity of Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. 

Two Israeli soldiers lost their lives in the incident, while seven others sustained injuries of varying severity. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Preliminary findings indicate that the helicopter did not go down due to enemy fire, Caliber.Az reports, citing IDF.

According to the initial investigation by the Israeli Air Force, a UH-60 Black Hawk from the 123rd Squadron was on a mission to Rafah with a medical team to evacuate a critically injured combat engineer during ongoing fighting in the area. During the final stages of landing inside an Israel Defense Forces camp in Rafah at around 12:30 (GMT+3), the helicopter struck the ground instead of landing properly.

The investigation found that the helicopter was not downed by enemy fire and that the crash occurred moments before the aircraft was due to land, indicating it did not fall from a significant height. Despite this, the helicopter sustained severe damage, and all on board were injured. Two soldiers were killed, while others were taken to hospitals, four of whom are in critical condition. Among the critically injured is the combat engineer who was wounded separately.

The cause of the crash remains unclear, though the Israeli Air Force has labeled it as an accident. An investigation has been launched to determine why the helicopter struck the ground in the camp rather than landing correctly. The names of the deceased soldiers have not yet been released, but their families have been notified.