An IDF helicopter crashed overnight in a still unexplained accident in Rafah, killing two soldiers, including the lead pilot, and wounding seven soldiers on board.
Warrant Officer (res.) Daniel Alloush, 37, from Tel Aviv, and Warr. Ofc. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, 38, from Ness Harim, both serving in Unit 669, were named as the soldiers killed in the crash.
In addition, a female and male pilot, a mechanic from Squadron 123, a doctor, and a combat soldier in reserves serving in Unit 669 were seriously wounded. A combat doctor serving in Unit 669 and a mechanic from Squadron 123 in reserves were moderately wounded.
The accident occurred after midnight in an attempt to rescue a wounded soldier in the field with Unit 669 forces.
Further, the accident occurred as the helicopter was close to the ground.
IDF to probe accident
Moreover, the IDF said that no enemy forces had hit the helicopter and that the reasons for the accident would be clarified in an ongoing probe.
By 2:00 a.m., all of the wounded had been evacuated to the Soroka Medical Center.
The IDF said that it has performed hundreds of successful rescue missions in Gaza, saving around 1,700 soldiers generally without incident until now.
National Unity leader MK Benny Gantz sent his condolences to the victims’ families in a post on X/Twitter.
“In this war, the Air Force and the Medical Corps managed to save the lives of hundreds of soldiers in daring and quick rescues, sometimes under fire,” he wrote.
הלב נשבר לנוכח אסון התרסקות המסוק בו נפלו הלילה שני לוחמים ונפצעו שבעה במסגרת חילוץ ברצועת עזה. אני מבקש לנחם את משפחות הנופלים ולאחל החלמה מהירה ומלאה לפצועים. במלחמה הזו, חיל האוויר וחיל הרפואה הצליחו להציל את חייהם של מאות חיילים בחילוצים נועזים ומהירים, לעיתים תחת אש.לאור…
— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) September 11, 2024
He further noted that “the abilities demonstrated by Unit 669 and other units,” in addition to “the courage of the fighters and the medical teams,” reduced “the time spent rescuing the wounded and bringing them to the hospitals,” which saved many lives.
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