The Israeli military has suspended the officer in charge during an incident that saw soldiers assault two AFP journalists, take their equipment and destroy it, the army said.
"The officer in charge of the operations on the ground has been suspended from operational duty until further notice," Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said of the incident on Friday. Lerner said the move was an immediate step "pending further disciplinary measures" against the officer or other soldiers and that investigations were continuing.
He added that the Israeli military considered it a "grave" incident. "Lessons from the incident will be learnt and disseminated within the (Israeli army)," Lerner told AFP late on Saturday.