Israeli army soldiers Photo: IDF Flickr page

IDF paratroopers on Sunday gave food to two Palestinian children who approached their post in Hebron and asked for something to eat, the blog Elder of Ziyon reported.

After the kids pleaded “We’re hungry, we have no food at home and we’re looking in dumpsters for something to eat,” the soldiers decided to give them a loaf of bread, meatballs, fruit, vegetables, hummus and snacks they had originally bought for themselves.

A YouTube video uploaded by Elder of Ziyon shows the troops handing bags of food to the two youths. One of the soldiers at the post, Corporal Oren, told his friends about the two children and they all decided to give most of their lunch to the youngsters.

“One of the children told me he already searched through all of the dumpsters around. I told them to wait a few minutes until I got back. We went out to them and sent them on their way with food and drink,” the corporal said. “After talking to our friends, it was clear to us we couldn’t let those kids keep looking through dumpsters for food, while we had extra food.”

Corporal Oren wrote on his Facebook page that his post faced a “massive stone onslaught” from a group of rioters right before his encounter with the children, according to Elder of Ziyon. Oren was preparing measures to disperse the group when his sergeant saw a young girl standing outside her home between the soldiers and the rioters. His sergeant ordered him to cease fire until they made sure the little girl was safe inside her home.

“During that time we were exposed to the stone throwers and were hit a lot and hard, but at no point did we even think to do anything while innocent children could get hurt,” he wrote on Facebook. He added, “I hope the two stories I told you – as someone who is out on the field experiencing things without mediation – helped paint a certain picture of what soldiers deal with every day. Next time you hear someone in Israel or abroad slamming the IDF, saying we’re not a moral army, you’re welcome to send them my way.”

Officials at the IDF Judea and Samaria Division said the soldiers received no orders to help the Palestinian children and that it was an independent initiative, Elder of Ziyon reported. Authorities added that Palestinians often use children as a trap for IDF soldiers. They hope to film the troops attacking the kids after they provoke the soldiers.

Watch the video of IDF soldiers giving Palestinian children food below: