A Canadian-born pilot serving in Israel died Monday after the helicopter he was flying crashed in northern Israel near the Lebanese border.

The Israeli Air Force is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash in the holy city of Safied in which Lt. Tom Farkash, 23, and Col. Tzvi Luft were both killed.

Farkash had been granted leave and planned to fly to Canada to meet with childhood friends, but he put off his vacation due to the conflict with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

"The family is devastated, we really lost a gem," Farkash's cousin Dan Alon told CTV Newsnet in an interview on Tuesday from Caesara, Israel.

At first, the Israeli army said human error or a technical malfunction caused the crash of the Apache helicopter. But it later reported the possibility that Israeli artillery fire downed the chopper.

Farkash was born in Canada, where his Israeli parents moved when they were young. Eleven years ago they moved back to Israel and settled in Caesarea -- a coastal town north of Tel Aviv.

Farkash was drafted to the Israeli Defence Forces where he completed his pilot's course and served as a helicopter gunship pilot.

Military service is mandatory for all Israelis between the ages of 18 and 21, but service in the air force is voluntary.

"He wanted to actualize himself and certainly the people with the right talents can do that," said Alon. "So (Farkash) decided to volunteer and he was screened as being a real top-gun pilot -- and that's why he was on the front line."

Farkash's family worried about Tom's fate after two other Apache helicopters collided in the region last week.

"They passed a night of panic. But after inquiries, it became clear that their son was not on either of the helicopters and they breathed a sigh of relief," a relative told Ynet.

Farkash's uncle, Yaniv Alafia, told Ynet everyone liked the young pilot.

"He is the family's firstborn son, a successful and handsome boy. He had a special connection with his sisters. His mother had a gut feeling that something happened to him," he said.

Farkash's father, Doron, also served in the Israeli Air Force as a Skyhawk pilot. He is now a captain for El Al, Israel's airline. Doron Farkash received the news of his son's death in Toronto, where he works.

Farkash had been living with his girlfriend of six years, and also leaves behind two siblings.