Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire,army says

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel's army chief of staff said on Thursday that three soldiers killed during a manhunt for a Muslim militant on August 26 were shot dead by Israeli "friendly fire."

"The chief of staff's investigation has reached the definitive conclusion that, much to our sorrow, the soldiers ... were killed by our forces' fire," Lieutenant-General Shaul Mofaz said in a statement after canceling a news conference.

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Israel's military commander in the West Bank, Brigadier-General Shlomo Oren, took responsibility for the bungled raid and asked to be relieved of his position, the army said. It declined to say whether Mofaz had accepted his resignation.

Israeli media reported on Wednesday that the commander of the soldiers' crack undercover unit had also tendered his resignation.

Mofaz's statement said the preliminary investigation showed that a fourth soldier was wounded by his comrades in the gunfight with Palestinian Hamas guerrillas in the West Bank village of Assira al-Shamaliyeh.

The soldiers were searching for Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, described by Mofaz as the most wanted Palestinian activist in the West Bank.

Abu Hanoud, who was shot in the shoulder, managed to flee to Nablus, where he surrendered to the Palestinian Authority. A second guerrilla, Nidal Daghlas, was wounded and captured by the Israeli troops.

Hussam Arafat, one of Abu Hanoud's lawyers, said on Thursday he had not been given a date for the trial of the Hamas militant.

Israel accuses Abu Hanoud of playing a key role in two Jerusalem suicide bombings in 1997 that killed 21 people at an outdoor market and cafe-lined pedestrian mall.

Hamas opposes Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's peace accords with Israel and has killed scores of Israelis in suicide bombings. The group hailed the weekend incident as a military victory.

The Palestinian Authority said the soldiers lost their lives because Israel kept the Authority in the dark.

Mofaz ordered a more extensive investigation of the raid to be wrapped up by next week.

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