The brother of a British man killed by Hamas while serving in the Israeli army has said his family is “just broken” at their loss.
Nathanel Young, 20, was killed near the Gaza border after Hamas launched its terror attack on October 7. He is among the six Britons killed in the attacks and a further 10 are missing.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Young’s brother Eliot said Nathanel “loved life” and had joined the IDF two years ago to “defend his country”.
“That was what he always wanted to do. That’s what he was here for. But he ultimately came to live here and raise a family and have a life,” he said.
He said his brother was known as a DJ among friends because he loved music, saying: “He just loved life. He had a lot of respect for my parents.”
Nathanel’s funeral on Monday was interrupted by air raids, he said, forcing mourners to shelter, including his parents, who had travelled from London.
“It was terrifying. The thing that went through my head is the fact that, even while I’m trying to say goodbye to my brother, they’re trying to kill me,” he told the broadcaster.
The 20-year-old grew up in London, attending JFS school in Kenton, the largest Jewish secondary school in Europe, before moving to Israel.
His sister, Gaby, described him as “fun-loving” and said he adored his four nieces.
The 38-year-old from Tel Aviv said she was in contact with her brother by phone on the morning of October 7, but then he stopped responding to messages.
Ms Young was later informed by the IDF around 1am on October 8 that he had been killed while protecting a kibbutz on the Gaza border.
“[He] loved fashion and trainers and he had a trainers collection just like a typical 20-year-old cheeky chappie," Ms Young said in tribute.
A eulogy that she was giving to her brother was interrupted by the air raid sirens during the funeral, she said.
“I really wanted to continue and I was determined to give Nathanel the honour that he deserves and finish my speech,” she said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the “terrible nature of these attacks means it is proving difficult to identify many of the deceased", but that at least six Britons had been killed.
Of the further 10 missing, he said some are feared to be among the dead as the UK works with Israel to establish the facts and support the families through their “unimaginable pain".
