British man, 20, killed in Hamas attacks while serving in Israeli army

A 20-year-old British man serving in the Israeli army has been killed in an attack by Hamas militants, his family have said.

Nathanel Young was serving with the Israeli Defence Forces when he was killed on the Gaza border on Saturday, after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack – firing thousands of rockets into Israel and storming across the heavily-fortified border.

Hundreds of Israelis have been killed and scores taken hostage, as gunfights continued for a second day to clear Hamas fighters from numerous settlements in Israel close to the border with Gaza.

Gaby Shalev, from London, posted on Facebook: “We’re heartbroken to share that our little brother Nathanel Young was tragically killed on the Gaza Border yesterday.”

The former pupil at JFS Jewish school in Kenton, north London, had been living in the Bayit Shel Benji lone-soldier house in Raanana, according to the Jewish News.

It comes after the Israeli embassy to the UK said another British citizen, 26-year-old Jake Marlowe – who reportedly attended the same school as Young – was among the missing after Hamas attacked a dance music festival taking place close to the border as it launched its incursion.

“We don’t know yet if taken hostage or killed,” the embassy told The Independent.

His mother, Lisa, said her son had been providing security at the rave in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im when the surprise attack unfolded and had called her at 4:30am “to say all these rockets were flying over”.

“Then, at about 5.30am, he texted to say, ‘signal very bad, everything OK, will keep you updated I promise you,’ and that he loves me,” Ms Marlowe told Jewish News.

Ms Marlowe said her son had not been online for hours, adding: “I’ve left him lots of WhatsApp messages but I’ve not been able to leave him a [voice] message… I can’t bear to listen to the phone just ringing and not being answered.”

Cabinet minister Mark Harper told Sky News the UK was “working very closely and have been in contact with the Israeli government about any British citizens” in the region, but said he had no “specific information” on the reports that Mr Marlowe is missing.

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