Family left 'heartbroken' after British soldier killed in Hamas attack while serving in Israeli army
Young was killed during the Hamas attack
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A British citizen who was serving in the Israeli military has been killed by an attack from Hamas.
Nathanel Young 20, from London, was a soldier serving in the 13th Battalion of the Israeli Defence Forces when he was killed on Saturday.
His family posted online to say that they are “heartbroken” by their son’s death at the Gaza border.
“Our little brother Nathanel Young was tragically killed on the Gaza Border yesterday,” they shared to Facebook.
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His brother called Nathanel “the life of the party” and that he was “loved by everyone”.
He had a passion for music and DJing, and was very proud of his Jewish heritage, his family have said.
The soldier was a “bubbly guy who his four nieces loved playing with”, his brother added.
“When Nathanel could have taken his days off to sleep and re-energise, he instead found out where the family was, which wasn't always so close to him, and came to join us,” his statement continued.
Young was a student at Jewish Free School, a mixed comprehensive school in north London.
He was living in the Bayit Shel Benji home for IDF soldiers in Raanana, north of Tel Aviv, according to the Jewish News.
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Nathenel posing with fellow soldiers
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said his thoughts are with Young’s family, as well as everyone who has been affected by this “terrible violence”.
Two other British citizens – Jake Marlowe and Dan Darlington – are missing following the weekend attacks.
Marlowe, 26, who attended the same school as Young, was working as security staff at a festival on the Gaza border.
His mother said that he had made contact with her whilst the attacks were taking place.
He told texted her to say “signal very bad, everything OK, will keep you updated I promise you” and that he loved her.
Jake Marlowe was working security at the all-night festival
Dan Darlington, who lives in Berlin, Germany but is originally from the UK, is also missing.
Darlington, who is a photographer, had been visiting friends in Israel when Hamas attacked. He is believed to have also attended the festival.
His family have said they have not spoken to him since Saturday morning.
“The communications network is down and we haven't spoken to him for 24 hours,” his father said.
Over 700 people in Israel have been killed as a result of the Hamas attack.
Israel has since launched retaliatory strikes, which have killed over 400 Palestinians.
Rescuers say they've found more than 250 bodies at the site of an Israeli music festival attacked by Hamas militants on Saturday.