A lieutenant from the Egoz special forces unit, who accidentally shot and killed his two comrades, Majors Itamar Elharar and Ofek Aharon - will not serve a prison sentence.

The officer admitted and was convicted Thursday morning, under a plea bargain, in an amended indictment charging him with exceeding authority to the point of endangering life or health. The original indictment charged him with causing death by negligence.

The penalty imposed on him, according to the agreement, will be a suspended prison sentence and demotion to the rank of sergeant.

According to the indictment, during a training week of the Egoz Unit, in a firing zone near the Nabi Musa base, the officer was negligent in that he went out at night, alone and without informing his superiors, to search for stolen night vision equipment. He was also negligent in that during the patrol, he cocked the weapon he was carrying.

Meanwhile, Majors Elharar and Aharon, along with two others, went out on a patrol in the area. The force, unaware that the officer had gone out on a patrol, identified him as a suspicious figure and followed him. At a certain point, the officer noticed figures aiming weapons at him from a short distance, and fired at them. Only afterward, shortly after the shooting, did the officer realize that it was Majors Elharar and Aharon.