From 2 soldiers killed, several wounded in helicopter crash in south Gaza
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two soldiers were killed and several were wounded after an Israeli Air Force helicopter crashed in the southern Gaza Strip last night, in what the military describes as an accident.
According to an initial IAF probe, a UH-60 Black Hawk from the 123rd Squadron had flown to Rafah with a Unit 669 medical team to evacuate a seriously wounded combat engineer during fighting in the area.
During the final landing stage inside an IDF encampment in Rafah at around 12:30 a.m., the helicopter impacted the ground instead of touching down correctly. According to the probe, the helicopter was not hit by enemy fire, and the crash occurred moments before the aircraft was supposed to land, meaning it did not fall from a significant height.
The helicopter was still heavily damaged in the crash, and all those aboard it were hurt.
In all, two soldiers were killed and another eight were taken to hospitals, four of them in serious condition. Among the four seriously wounded is the combat engineer who was injured separately.
It is still unclear what led to the crash, although the IAF describes it as an accident. A probe has been launched to determine why the helicopter impacted the ground in the encampment instead of landing correctly.
The names of the killed soldiers have not yet been released but their families have been informed.
