11/9/2024–|Last update: 11/9/202402:59 PM (Makkah Time)
In his comment on the Israeli helicopter crash in Gaza, military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi wondered whether the helicopter had crashed or been shot down, suggesting that there was an external factor that led to its downing.
He considered that there are two possibilities for the helicopter to crash, either due to a technical error or human error, but if it was shot down, it was due to an external factor, and he revealed that the helicopter crash occurred near areas where there is likely to be Palestinian resistance.
The Israeli army admitted today, Wednesday, that two soldiers were killed and seven others were injured, four of them seriously, as a result of a Black Hawk helicopter crash during a mission to rescue an injured soldier in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, in the first fatal crash of this type of aircraft in 30 years.
In an analysis of the military scene in Gaza, Major General Al-Duwairi provided technical explanations regarding the helicopter that crashed. He said that when it flies at very low levels, that is its maximum speed, and when it flies at high altitudes, its speed is approximately 360 kilometers per hour. If the helicopter was flying within the range of short-range missiles, RPGs, or 7.62 machine guns, it could be shot down.
He stressed that he could not confirm that the Israeli helicopter had been shot down, but that this possibility remained open.
The occupation army announced the opening of an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident, noting that initial information indicates that the helicopter crash was not the result of enemy fire, but rather the result of human or technical error, according to its description.
The military and strategic expert also explained that the Israeli helicopter that crashed is the main nerve of the rescue operations of the occupation soldiers who fall in Gaza. It is a medium-sized helicopter equipped with two 7.62 caliber machine guns, and its crew consists of 4: a pilot, his assistant, a navigator, and the one who uses the machine guns.
He spoke about the existence of more than one model and size of the Israeli helicopter, and Major General Al-Duwairi was surprised by the statement of the Israeli Air Force Commander regarding stopping training, and said that it is assumed that the use will be stopped until the helicopter crash incident is investigated.
In the estimation of Major General Al-Duwairi, the Israeli occupation army fears a clash or contact with the Palestinian resistance, and therefore described the rescue operations as complex, and took very large precautionary measures, stressing that it carried out air sorties and used smoke to impose a barrier that prevents vision.
The Israeli website Walla reported that the crash of the Black Hawk helicopter in Gaza was the first fatal accident after 30 years of service of this type of helicopter in the Israeli army.