2 IDF soldiers killed, several seriously wounded in Gaza helicopter crash

An IDF helicopter crash in Gaza on Tuesday night claimed the lives of two soldiers from the IDF Special Tactics Rescue Unit 669, with another six others wounded, the military announced Wednesday morning.

The names of the two IDF soldiers who were killed were released for publication on Wednesday afternoon.

They were named as Chief Master-Sgt (res.) Daniel Alloush (37) from Tel Aviv-Yafo, and Chief Master Sgt. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom (38) from Nes Harim.

“Overnight, an Israeli Air Force ‘Yanshuf’ helicopter, which was on a mission to evacuate an injured soldier to a hospital for medical treatment, crashed while landing in the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF stated.

Overnight, an Israeli Air Force "Yanshuf" helicopter, which was on a mission to evacuate an injured soldier to a hospital for medical treatment, crashed while landing in the Rafah area in Gaza.

An initial inquiry conducted indicates that the crash was not caused by enemy fire.… pic.twitter.com/XFYfDoZZQc

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 11, 2024

The “Yanshuf” (Hebrew for "Owl") is a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. The accident marks the first crash of a Black Hawk helicopter for the Israeli military since they entered service in 1994. 

An initial inquiry by the IDF found that the crash, which took place near the Philadelphi Corridor in Gaza, was not caused by enemy fire, however, the exact cause of the crash was still under investigation. 

Early reports indicate that during the landing in an IDF encampment in Rafah, the helicopter hit the ground instead of touching down in a controlled fashion injuring at least seven soldiers to varying degrees. The soldiers were evacuated to an Israeli hospital for medical treatment. Their families were also notified. 

Immediately following the crash, four additional helicopters were dispatched to evacuate the injured soldiers to Soroka Hospital. 

Since the start of the war, some 1,800 injured soldiers have been evacuated from Gaza using Yanshuf helicopters. 

The Black Hawks used by the IDF are not combat helicopters but are primarily used for transporting equipment and soldiers.

The American-made helicopter is widely used by militaries around the world and is known for its reliability.

Reserve Lt.-Col. Meidan told N12 News that the Black Hawk helicopter is “relatively new, very reliable, sophisticated with many backup and protection systems. It is a very common helicopter in the world, with a very low accident rate. The helicopter is used for very diverse missions, such as the mission carried out in Rafah tonight.” 

Meidan also said that “flying in Gaza is very complex because in urban areas and you sometimes land between buildings, in a kind of improvised landing pads. It's very difficult, certainly at night.” 

The IDF said there were no changes in the Israeli Air Force's operational activity as a result of the accident.