Eight members of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the crash of a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter in the Egyptian Sinai.
The observers were part of a force deployed since 1982 to monitor peace between Egypt and Israel in the disputed region of the Sinai. It regroups over 1,100 soldiers of different nationalities. Among the victims of the crash were six U.S. nationals, a French, and a Czech. Israel initially offered assistance in carrying the wounded to a nearby hospital, before it appeared that all crew members were killed.
Both Israeli and Egyptian official sources say the crash is believed to be an incident.
The Multinational Force and Observers, an independent international peacekeeping organization unrelated to the United Nations, was formed following a peace treaty signed in 1979 between Israel and Egypt. The two countries had fought over the region for a decade.
The region is now the theater of regular clashes between the Egyptian army and Islamic insurgents, including a local branch of the Islamic State.