A heartwarming gesture of reconciliation in the Middle East, from the parents of a Palestinian boy killed in an accidental shooting by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli troops on a raid in the West Bank town of Jenin last Thursday, shot a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was carrying a toy M-16 assault rifle. The army said soldiers were caught in an exchange of fire, and they mistook the boy, Ahmed Ismail Khatib, for an armed militant. Israel apologized for what it described as a "tragic mistake."

The boy was rushed to a hospital in Jerusalem with wounds to his head and stomach. Israeli doctors fought for his life, but the boy died two days later. Now, the child's family has decided to donate his organs to Israeli children. "Despite the pain, they made a very courageous decision," the boy's uncle, Jamal Khatib, told Israel Television. "This is part of our culture. As Muslims," he said, "we can tell the world that we are not terrorists."

The boy's father said the donated heart, lung, kidneys and liver would save Jewish lives.

"Israeli children are our children," he said. "We are doing this because we believe in peace."

Story supplied by: VOAnews