‘My hero brother died fighting to save innocents from Hamas attack’ | UK News
Gaby Young hailed Nathanel, 20, as a ‘hero’ for his service with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) at the outset of the surprise attack.
The full extent of the atrocities committed by the terrorists is still emerging, with horrific stories of massacres at kibbutzim close to the Gaza border.
The corporal was serving with the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade when the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters began the assault, with one of his first thoughts being to check on his sister and her family in Tel Aviv.
Follow the latest on the Israel-Hamas conflict over on our live blog.
The brigade took heavy casualties as the militants began the multi-pronged attack, with kibbutzim and other settlements first in their sights.
Gaby, 38, who is also originally from London, last spoke to Nathanel against a noisy backdrop at his base on the Gazan border.
‘My little brother is a hero,’ she said. ‘He was a fun-loving, 20-year-old boy who grew up in London and loved DJ-ing, dogs and his family.
‘He had joined the IDF to defend the country from terrorists like Hamas.
‘On Saturday, October 7 he was in the line of fire when Hamas carried out the biggest intentional killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust.
‘In Tel Aviv, we had air raid sirens at 6.30am that morning, so I rushed to the shelter with my husband and our two children.
‘Nathanel called me to check I was ok and told me where he was. I didn’t hear from him after 7am and we are still piecing together what happened to him. What we do know is that he gave his life defending against a terrorist attack that was intentionally targeted at civilians.
‘I believe that my brother and his brigade saved a kibbutz on the border between Israel and Gaza from being infiltrated.’
Nathanel was born in Southgate, north London, and attended JFS, a Jewish mixed comprehensive school in nearby Kenton.
His later years in the city revolved around his friends, family, pet dog Oreo and his passion for dance music and DJ-ing.
After moving to Israel in 2021, the fluent Hebrew speaker had been living at the Bayit Shel Benji home for lone [newly arrived from other countries] IDF soldiers in Ra’anana, a city to the north of Tel Aviv.
He had been serving in the border area with the 13th ‘Gideon’ Battalion just weeks after finishing his military training.
Nathanel is remembered in dedications to the fallen on the IDF’s website, where he is honoured among 70 Golani soldiers who died trying to hold back the attack at various points along the border.
Aaron Cowland, a school friend of Nathanel’s who is also from north London, told Metro.co.uk: ‘Nathanel was a lovely guy. He joined my primary school in year 2 and I was with him all the way through secondary school until I left in Year 9, after when we stayed in touch.
‘The fact he wanted to go and risk his life in the army to defend people in Israel speaks volumes about the kind of person he was.
‘He was just a very caring person who was big into his music and did so much good for so many people.
‘There wasn’t one person who had anything bad to say about him.’
Nathanel’s funeral was held at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9, with his parents flying in from London to join a congregation of more than 2,000 mourners.
Gaby, who is one of four surviving siblings, has taken heart from the huge outpouring of support from the UK and Israel.
‘Among his friends, Nathanel was the life and soul of the party and had earnt the nickname “DJ”,’ she said.
‘As we honour his life, hundreds of friends and well-wishers have come to visit our family, to share memories and pay their respects to our British hero here in Israel. Nathanel’s funeral was broadcast live, with over 2,000 people coming to pay their respects at the ceremony in Jerusalem.
‘I would like to thank the UK, the Mayor of London and many other public figures who have sent kind words to our family and are standing with Israel and recognise that Hamas is like ISIS, a barbaric terror group that set out to take as many innocent lives as possible.’
Gaby spoke as the IDF prepares for a ground offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza following 10 days of air strikes and limited ground operations.
The military action has been met with NATO urging a ‘proportionate’ response and warnings from international aid agencies of dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory.
Gaby, however, stresses that her brother is part of a high price that Israeli continues to pay after the horrors which began on October 7.
‘In terms of the Israeli response, I don’t think there is a way to be “proportionate” in terms of the atrocities that Hamas committed as they killed men, women, children and babies,’ she said.
‘The Israeli soldiers, like my brother, were on the frontline protecting the civilians, making sure that the terrorists couldn’t get any further.
‘He and many of his comrades gave their lives so other people could live.’
Gaby expressed her thoughts for families still waiting for news of loved ones who remain unaccounted for.
‘My heart goes out to all the families who have missing children, brothers and sisters and parents,’ she said. ‘Many still don’t know if their children are dead or alive or being held hostage in Gaza.’
Six British citizens have been confirmed dead in the attack, with another 10 missing, the UK prime minister said yesterday.
After Gaby spoke to Metro.co.uk, the IDF confirmed that at least 199 people have been taken hostage by the militants, with their relatives informed.
The latest figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health show that 2,670 civilians have been killed in Israeli strikes, with 9,600 others injured.
The Israeli military has said that more than 1,400 people have been killed in the country, with more than 3,000 people wounded.
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