The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated in a communique that the incident occurred on Wednesday evening after a live-fire exercise at the Nabi Musa base, located in the strategic Jordan Valley.

The two officers were patrolling the area when they identified a suspicious person and tried to arrest him, but a soldier thought they were Palestinian militiamen infiltrating the facility and opened fire on them, the text stated.

IDF Spokesperson Brigadier Ran Kohav called it a serious incident, which is under investigation.

The Nabi Musa training area is located south of Jerusalem and is frequently used by Israeli infantry and armored corps units, although there are several Palestinian villages nearby.

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