The soldiers, from the feared Duvdevan Unit, have been charged with animal cruelty and firearms offences after a video of the incident surfaced.

Allegedly filmed by one of the men, the clip shows the off-duty pair driving past a camel by a sand dune near the Dead Sea while one of them fires at the helpless animal.

As the bullet hits the unsuspecting camel - which later died - hysterical laughter can be heard coming from the car.

At a preliminary hearing, the soldier who fired the fatal shot was asked about the laughter and admitted: 'We were in a kind of euphoria. It was exciting.'

The incident took place last month while the two men - now suspended from duty - were on leave before they began officer training in the commando unit.

An Israeli army spokesman said: 'This was a serious incident that does not meet the standards expected from IDF [Israel Defence Force] soldiers.'

Lawyers for the pair acknowledge the severity of the incident, but said they should be credited for confessing their actions.

But prosecutors will tell the court that unsuccessful attempts had been made to delete the disturbing video.

The Duvdevan Unit, part of Israel's West Bank  is one of the most feared throughout the Middle East and often works as an undercover plain clothes squad fighting terrorism.

Etti Altman - chair of the Israeli animal rights group Let the Animals Live called for lengthy jail sentences saying: 'Where did their compassion go, the mercy toward defenceless creatures?'

The case continues.

(dailymail.co.uk)