Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Wednesday night in a friendly fire incident during a patrol near a military base in the occupied Jordan Valley, Israeli media reported.
According to a statement by the Israeli military, “the officers were killed after a mistaken identification led to a friendly fire incident.”
#Breaking: Two #Israeli Soldiers Killed in 'Friendly Fire' in #Jordan Valley#BreakingNews #Palestine #Israelhttps://t.co/LNlwo3cd8t
— Al Bawaba News (@AlBawabaEnglish) January 13, 2022
The two Israeli soldiers were both majors in the elite Egoz commando unit and were reportedly killed by fellow soldiers who mistook them for Palestinian gunmen.
“A soldier in the unit mistook their actions for a Palestinian attack, and as a result of [his] fire, the two officers were killed,” the Israeli army spokesman said on Kan public radio.
Two Israeli military officers were killed yesterday by friendly fire during a security patrol near their base in the Jordan Valley, after they were misidentified and shot by a fellow soldierhttps://t.co/sLMs5dWRIF
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) January 13, 2022
The Israeli army is currently investigating the incident and identified the soldiers as Major Ofek Aharon, 28, and Major Itamar Elharar, 26.
The soldiers’ deaths come a week after two Israeli air force pilots were killed in a helicopter crash off the northern coast of Haifa.
The incident also follows the recent announcement that the Israeli military would be loosening its policies for opening fire against Palestinian civilians.
