More than ten Brits feared dead or missing in Israel as rocket attacks continue
9 October 2023, 13:50 | Updated: 9 October 2023, 17:02
More than ten British people are feared to have died or gone missing in Israel after the Hamas attack over the weekend.
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Two Britons have been confirmed dead so far, and two more have been confirmed missing after Hamas fighters swept into southern Israel.
Nathanel Young, 20, a British man who was serving in the Israeli army, was killed in the Hamas attack, the Israeli Defence Force said.
Bernard Cowan, from Glasgow, was confirmed to have died by his family on Monday.
Twenty-six-year-old Jake Marlowe, who went to the same London school as Mr Young, is also missing.
Meanwhile Danny Darlington, a British photographer who lived in Berlin, and his German girlfriend, Carolin Bohl, have not been heard from since they went to a bunker in Nir Or, a kibbutz in the south of Israel.
The number of British people thought to be missing or dead could rise to more than ten, according to multiple media reports.
At least 700 people are understood to have been killed in Israel and more than 500 in Gaza. Israel is manoeuvring to put Gaza under siege, while the US is moving in warships in the Mediterranean as the situation develops.
A dance music festival in southern Israel was among those to be hit in the attacks, as Hamas gunmen paraglided across the border and opened fire on the site full of hundreds of young people.
Paying tribute to Mr Young on Facebook, a family member wrote: "Our little brother Nathanel Young was tragically killed on the Gaza Border yesterday."
A further tribute shared with the Jewish News wrote: "Nathanel was full of life and the life of the party - he carried the nickname DJ on base and at Benji's house, the lone soldier house that he lived at.
"He loved his family and friends and was loved by everyone. He loved music and was a talented DJ.
"Always willing to go to any lengths for his loved ones. An amazing uncle and brother. He was so happy and thriving in Israel. He loved the country."
Mr Marlowe was working as a security guard at a music festival and has not been heard from since Saturday.
His friend Daniel Aboudy told LBC that he felt “completely lost” after finding out his friend was missing in Israel.
Speaking to David Lammy on Sunday, Mr Aboudy said: “That’s my best friend, that’s my brother. I’ve known him for what would nearly be 25 years, we’ve grown up together, we went to nursery, primary and secondary school together.”
Ms Bohl's family were informed late on Sunday from a man working at the kibbutz that the bodies of the two had been identified, according to her brother-in law Sam Pasquesi.
Images shared on social media showed the couple laughing together shortly before they vanished during the brutal attack.
Ms Bohl's sister posted on Instagram claiming the family had been told of their death from a friend "on the ground".
"Today we learned from Carolin's friend on the ground in Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel that she and her friend Danny were killed in a terrorist attack yesterday," she wrote.
"We are broken and are working to cope with this unimaginable tragedy.
"We send our deepest thanks to those who made such an effort today to hep find her and provide information and contacts."
She added: "Please give us some time and space to remember our sweet angel Caro and her beloved friend Danny."
Israel has started preparations to launch a major ground offensive on Hamas as it orders a ‘complete siege’ on Gaza, blocking electricity, fuel and food from entering.
"I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,” Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.
Israel controls the air space over Gaza and its shoreline, enabling them to restrict goods allowed in and out through the border.
