Two Israeli soldiers, aged 37 and 38, were killed, and several others injured when an Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter crashed in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, with the country’s military describing it as an “accident.” Both deceased soldiers served in the elite search and rescue unit of the Israeli Air Force.

According to initial reports from the IAF, a UH-60 Black Hawk from the 123rd Squadron flew to Rafah with a medical team from the elite unit on Tuesday night to retrieve an engineer seriously injured during clashes in the area.

Un helicóptero UH-60 Black Hawk de las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel, que formaba parte de una misión para evacuar a un combatiente herido se estrelló en la zona de Rafah durante el aterrizaje. 2 soldados murieron y otros siete combatientes de las FDI resultaron heridos. pic.twitter.com/KtjhcZF2Cn

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During the final landing stage inside an Israeli military camp in Rafah, around 12:30 a.m., the pilot reportedly lost control and was unable to land the helicopter smoothly, causing it to crash.

According to the investigation, the helicopter was not hit by enemy fire, and the crash occurred just minutes before the scheduled landing, meaning it did not fall from a significant height.

In total, two soldiers were killed, and eight others were transported to hospitals, including the engineer who had been injured during the battles in Rafah, for whom the rescue mission was organized.