Israeli helicopter crashes, Hezbollah rockets, Hamas prisoner leader killed

On Tuesday night, an Israeli military helicopter crashed in Rafah. The accident remains unexplained to this day. Two soldiers were killed, including the pilot. Seven soldiers on board were injured.

The soldiers killed in the crash were named as Warr. Ofc. (res.) Daniel Alloush, 37, of Tel Aviv, and Warr. Ofc. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, 38, of Ness Harim, both serving in Unit 669.

In addition, a female pilot, a male pilot, a mechanic from Squadron 123, a doctor and a reserve soldier from Unit 669 were seriously injured, and a reserve soldier from Unit 669 and a reserve mechanic from Squadron 123 were moderately injured.

The pilot was part of the crew that evacuated hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi from the Gaza Strip.

The accident occurred after midnight during an attempt to rescue a wounded Givati soldier at the scene by Unit 669 forces, bringing the total number of injured in the related incidents to eight.

The scene where a man was injured by a rocket fired from Lebanon in Kibbutz Dan on September 11, 2024. (Source: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)

The accident also occurred when the helicopter was close to the ground.

The Israeli military said there was no attack by enemy forces on the helicopter and that the cause of the accident was being determined as part of an ongoing investigation.

By two o'clock in the morning, all wounded and injured had been evacuated to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

The Israeli military said it had carried out hundreds of successful rescue missions in Gaza, saving a total of around 1,700 soldiers without any incidents.

National Unity Chairman MK Benny Gantz expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a post on X/Twitter.

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“In this war, the Air Force and the Medical Corps succeeded in saving the lives of hundreds of soldiers in daring and rapid rescue operations, sometimes under fire,” he wrote.

He further noted that “the skills demonstrated by Unit 669 and other units” as well as “the courage of the fighters and medical teams” had resulted in “reducing the time needed to rescue the injured and transport them to hospitals”, thereby saving many lives.

Later on Wednesday, Air Force Chief Major General Tomer Bar and IDF South Commander Major General Yaron Finkelman arrived at the site.

Bar said: “Last night, during a life-saving operation for a seriously wounded soldier in the Gaza Strip, we lost two of our best reservists when an 'Owl' helicopter from Squadron 123 crashed during the landing phase. In addition, eight fighters were injured, some of them very seriously,” adding that the ongoing project to rescue wounded soldiers was crucial and would continue without interruption.

Noa Marciano's kidnapper murdered

The military announced on Wednesday that it had killed a Hamas terrorist involved in the kidnapping of IDF soldier Noa Marciano, whose body was found hidden and buried near Shifa Hospital in November 2023.

Marciano was one of the first Israelis to be found dead and returned to Israel. Hamas terrorist Abdullah Abu Rialah was a member of the Shati Brigade in the north of the Gaza Strip and was involved in the October 7 kidnappings. He also fought against the Israeli forces during the ongoing war and was eventually killed in an airstrike coordinated by the Shin Bet and Israeli intelligence.

In the same statement about the killing of Abu Rialah, the IDF also mentioned the killing of another terrorist, Iman Khaled Ahmad Abu al-Yahni, who was involved in the October 7 massacre.

Another IDF statement mentioned the killing of several Hamas terrorists hiding in the Al-Juani school in Nuseirat, central Gaza.

The Israeli military reiterated its message that Hamas abuses civilian sites such as schools and mosques, but that it will take action against them anyway, while proceeding with caution so as not to harm or minimize harm to nearby civilians.

Despite continued airstrikes and low-level infantry operations, the intensity of Israeli fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has decreased significantly since Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the destruction of the last Hamas battalion on August 21.

Gallant announced on Wednesday that the now-deceased commander of Hamas' Khan Yunis Brigade, Rafah Salame, wrote a letter to then-Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar in May asking for help and describing the significant damage his troops had suffered.

Salame wrote to Sinwar and his brother Muhammad Sinwar that 90–95% of his rockets were gone.

He further stated that at least 50% of his troops were killed, 25% were wounded or fleeing, and that 25% were still fighting, but even that 25% was beginning to crumble. Salame asked Sinwar for reinforcements.

Gallant added that no help came from the Sinwar brothers, who also fled from place to place to avoid being arrested or killed. The Israeli army later found the letter in a Hamas headquarters.

On July 13, the Israeli army assassinated both Salame and Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif in an airstrike near Khan Yunis after weeks of pursuing the two.

The majority of the Khan Yunis Brigade was disbanded by early February.

Barrage in the north

In the north, the Israeli military announced that a reservist in Kibbutz Dan was seriously wounded on Wednesday in more than 60 Hezbollah rocket attacks from Jibbain, Naqoura, Deir Seryan and Zibqin.

According to Israeli media reports, there was no alarm and a fire broke out as a result of the Dan impact. The Upper Galilee Regional Council said the 39-year-old man received medical treatment at the scene and was then taken to hospital for further treatment.

The Rambam Medical Center in Haifa said the patient was flown in by helicopter from Kibbutz Dan and suffered from chest bruises. He was last reported to be conscious.

In response to the incident, the Home Front Command issued new security protocols for residents of the evacuated areas in the north and some communities in the northwestern Galilee.

These measures include reducing traffic, controlling access to communities, avoiding large gatherings and staying close to emergency shelters.

Israeli forces attacked 30 Hezbollah rocket launch sites and military infrastructure in the al-Jabin and a-Naqoura areas, as well as in a-Dhira in southern Lebanon, early Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday afternoon, the military killed two Hezbollah terrorists in the Miss al Jabbal area of southern Lebanon, as well as a rocket launcher firing rockets from the Rimin area and another in the Rachaya Al Foukhar area. Israeli forces also struck in Ayta ash Shab.

A few hours later, the IDF identified and attacked a Hezbollah position in Shebaa.

Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.

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