Israel SitRep: September 11, 2024

Today’s Issue: | IAF Helicopter Crash in Gaza Kills Two, Wounds Seven | Israeli Man Critically Wounded in Fuel Tanker Ramming Attack in West Bank | Northern Update: Hezbollah Claims Responsibility for 11 Attacks in Past 24 Hours | COGAT: 176 Aid Trucks Entered Gaza Tuesday; More Than 80,000 Children Vaccinated for Polio | Latest FDD Analysis

IAF Helicopter Crash in Gaza Kills Two, Wounds Seven: The IDF announced early Wednesday that a Yanshuf helicopter (a UH-60 Black Hawk) crashed overnight while landing in Gaza, killing two soldiers and wounding seven others. The helicopter was flying to the Rafah area at around 11:30 p.m. to transport a wounded combat engineer to the hospital for treatment. Though it had nearly landed when the incident occurred, it sustained significant damage. The wounded were evacuated to a hospital, including the combat engineer. According to an initial investigation, the crash was not caused by “enemy fire.” Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar has appointed a commission to investigate the circumstances of the crash. 

The IDF later announced that the two soldiers killed in the crash were Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, 38, from Nes Harim and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Alloush, 37, from Tel Aviv, both from the IAF’s Unit 669, an elite search and rescue unit. Those seriously wounded in the incident included a soldier with Unit 669, two pilots and a mechanic from the IAF’s 123rd Squadron, and a reservist doctor.

Israeli Man Critically Wounded in Fuel Tanker Ramming Attack in West Bank: An Israeli in his 20s was critically wounded Wednesday by a fuel tanker that plowed into an IDF guard post near a bus stop near the West Bank settlement of Givat Assaf, near Ramallah. The attacker, later identified as Hael Issa Daif Allah, 58, from the West Bank town of Rafat, was shot by IDF soldiers and an armed civilian and “neutralized.” According to the military, he is in serious condition. Following the attack, the area was closed off, and firefighters and a hazmat team checked the truck for leaks. Hamas later issued a statement calling the attack “a natural response to the occupation’s crimes and a confirmation that the flame of resistance will remain burning and that aggression will not bring security as long as the occupation is on our land.”

Northern Update: Hezbollah Claims Responsibility for 11 Attacks in Past 24 Hours: On Wednesday, the Alma Research and Education Center published an update on events in Israel’s north, noting that Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for 11 attacks against Israel in the past 24 hours with suicide drones, anti-tank missiles, and high-trajectory fire, including Grad rockets. On Tuesday, Hezbollah fired some 15 Grad rockets at the western Galilee and about 30 toward Meron in the upper Galilee. The group also fired suicide drones toward Kibbutz Amiad in the upper Galilee. These areas have not been evacuated; Hezbollah claims it launched the attacks in response to Tuesday’s targeted killing of Radwan Force Commander Muhammad Qasem al-Sha’ar. Overnight, the IDF struck Hezbollah infrastructure and some 30 rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in the areas of Zibqin, Deir Seryan, Jibbain, and Naqoura. It has also struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, including a weapons-production site, buildings, and rocket launchers in the areas of A-Tiri, Houla, Rachaf, Kafr Kila, Nabatieh, Mansouri, and Jouaiyya.

COGAT: 176 Aid Trucks Entered Gaza Tuesday; More Than 80,000 Children Vaccinated for Polio: On Wednesday, COGAT, the Israeli entity coordinating humanitarian aid for Gaza, published its aid update for Tuesday, stating that 176 aid trucks entered Gaza, 143 through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and 33 through the Erez crossing. UN agencies collected the contents of 15 trucks from the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom, and private sector entities collected the contents of 110 trucks. The announcement notes that there are still some 500 truckloads of aid awaiting collection, 480 of them by the UN. Six cooking gas tankers also entered Gaza yesterday, along with 187,000 polio vaccine doses. Also on Wednesday, COGAT reported that in the polio vaccination campaign begun yesterday in northern Gaza, 81,452 children under the age of 10 were vaccinated, bringing the total for north, central, and southern Gaza to 521,903.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Cliff May, FDD Event

“Egypt Has Violated Its Peace Treaty With Israel. It Must Face Consequences,” Jonathan Schanzer and Mariam Wahba, Newsweek

“Don’t over-concentrate US forces in the Middle East,” Ryan Brobst, Bradley Bowman, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Rockets fired at Ashkelon from Gaza as IDF continues Gaza operations,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“IDF focuses on eliminating Hamas commanders,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israeli Strike Targets Top Hamas Commanders in Gaza,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israeli Forces Thwart Palestinian Terror Cell With Highway Arrest,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Intercepts Weapons Cache Smuggled From Jordan,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Blinken Confirms Iranian Ballistic Missile Transfers to Russia,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief