Two Israeli troopers killed, a number of injured in helicopter crash in Gaza Strip
An Israel Defense Forces Black Hawk helicopter crashed late Tuesday during a medevac mission in the southern Gaza Strip, killing two soldiers and injuring several others.
The incident is being investigated, but IDF officials said they don’t believe the crash was caused by enemy fire.
The two IDF soldiers killed in the crash were identified as Chief Master Sgt. Daniel Alloush and Chief Master Sgt. Tom Ish-Shalom. Both were serving in the Israeli air force’s Special Tactics Rescue Unit 669 at the time, officials said.
The Blackhawk was on a mission to evacuate an injured soldier when it crashed while landing in the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip, IDF officials posted Wednesday on Telegram.
Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, chief of the Israeli air force, ordered a probe to determine why the helicopter failed to land correctly during the medevac operation.
The U.S.-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is known in the IAF as the “Yanshuf” — “owl” in Hebrew. It is used for a variety of missions, including routine transportation operations.
The Times of Israel said Black Hawks have taken nearly 2,000 wounded IDF soldiers to hospitals in Israel since the fighting began in the Gaza Strip in October.
