"An initial inquiry conducted indicates that the crash was not caused by enemy fire... Two Israeli army soldiers were killed as a result of the crash," the military said in a statement, adding that the seven injured had been evacuated to hospital for treatment.

The helicopter was on a mission to evacuate wounded soldiers from Gaza for treatment in Israeli hospitals.

It is still unclear what led to the crash, although the Israeli army describes it as an accident under investigation.

There have been 340 Israeli soldiers killed since the ground operation began in Gaza in late October.

Meanwhile, an Israeli man was critically wounded in a suspected ramming attack near the settlement of Givat Asaf in the occupied West Bank, Israeli medics said.

The army said the attacker was killed at the scene.

A truck was used in the attack, and hit a bus stop, according to Times of Israel.