Two officers of an Israeli Army Special Forces unit were killed byfriendly fireoutside their camp in the Jordan Valley, in the occupied West Bank, in the early hours of today.

The officers were on patrol or exercising outside their base when they weremisidentifiedandkilled by Israeligunfire from a soldier who thought they were Palestinians trying to attack him, he explained.

Immense grief this morning after the news of the death of two officers of the Egoz unit” (also known as Unit 621, specialised in unorthodox warfare), Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gants said in a statement, adding that the armed forces willconduct a thorough investigationinto the accident.