The crash of an Israeli helicopter in the Gaza Strip, killing two soldiers and injuring seven others, sparked widespread interaction on social media platforms.
The Israeli occupation army announced the incident, which occurred during an attempt to evacuate a soldier who was shot by a sniper from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
According to the official statement of the occupation army, the helicopter crashed in Gaza at 12:30 after midnight on the Philadelphi axis, and there were 8 soldiers on board. In the final stage of the landing process, it suddenly crashed on the temporary landing strip and was completely destroyed.
Israeli media published a video of the first moments of the plane crash in the Gaza Strip, and the occupation army confirmed in its statement that “initial investigations indicate that the accident was not caused by hostile fire, and that the cause of the crash is still under investigation.”
The episode of “Networks” (9/11/2024) reviewed the most prominent tweets of activists, who agreed that the incident represents a strong blow to the Israeli army.
The tweeter “Sama” doubted the official Israeli narrative and suggested an alternative explanation: “The enemy says that the plane crashed due to a technical fault, but most likely the fault is with the SAM 7 anti-aircraft missile that the resistance possesses.”
While Amr suggested that the cause was an actual technical fault, saying, “I think it was actually due to a technical fault in the helicopter, because the resistance has not claimed responsibility yet, especially since the crash occurred at night, even though the Black Hawk is known for the power of its engines.”
First fatal accident
Regardless of the reasons for the incident, tweeter Khaled stressed its strong impact on the occupation, tweeting, “Whatever happened in Gaza, whether what is said about a helicopter being shot down or crashed is true, it is certain that it was a shocking and very harsh event for the occupation, in which it lost a number of its soldiers.”
As for Mohammed, he spoke about the possibility of shooting down helicopters, saying, “Shooting down helicopters is very possible. Either the fighters are next to them and shoot them down with rockets and anti-aircraft missiles, and it is not a fixed system, or if they are far away, it can be done with mortar and guided missiles.”
Youssef added an analysis of the number of casualties, saying, “The helicopters’ fall is supposed to kill all of their crew, but I believe that the reason for only two deaths and seven injuries, if the enemy’s story is correct, is because the plane fell from a very low altitude.”
It is noteworthy that the crashed helicopter is a Sikorsky UH-60, known as the Black Hawk, and is worth $16 million.
The Hebrew website “Walla” reported that this is the first fatal accident involving this model since it entered service in Israel 30 years ago, noting that these helicopters have evacuated about 2,000 wounded Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war.