'He saved a kibbutz from being infiltrated': Sister of murdered British IDF soldier Nathanel Young says he died a hero

19 October 2023, 18:42 | Updated: 20 October 2023, 11:03

By Charlotte Lynch

@charlotterlynch

The sister of a 20-year-old British-Israeli IDF soldier who was killed by Hamas as he protected a kibbutz has called for peace.

Gaby Young has spoken to LBC in her first broadcast interview since her brother Nathanel was murdered when terrorists invaded Israel from Gaza on Saturday, October 7th.

She said her brother died “fighting to protect the state of Israel and the Jewish people”, and said Israel could not put down its weapons “because there would be no Israel.”

Speaking from Tel Aviv, Ms Young told LBC: “If Hamas put down their weapons today, there will be peace on both sides.

"If Israel put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.

"If Hamas put down their weapons today, then there would be peace because there's no interest in harming civilians.

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"It's just that, unfortunately, Gaza is run by terrorist organization of Hamas.

"And we want to Free Gaza from Hamas, so that everyone can live the lives they want to live and have a normal life and be able to take their kids to the park without worrying - that's what everybody wants.”

Ms Young, who grew up in North London, revealed her brother died a hero, and “saved a kibbutz from being infiltrated by terrorists”.

Ms Young told LBC: “That is the thing that brings us kind of the little bit of comfort, is that we understood from a few people that he saved lives, that he saved a kibbutz from being infiltrated by terrorists. That is a heroic action, especially at that age at 20 years old.

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“All I can say is, I'm really proud of him for being able to do that, although obviously I wish we still had him with us, at least he was able to leave a legacy of being a hero.”

She fondly remembers her "cheeky" younger brother who grew up to be “a really handsome boy.”

She said he loved dogs and volunteered in dog shelters, and “went out of his way to make his friends happy”.

She said he “spent every spare moment he had” with his four nieces, and had a passion for DJ’ing.

"Everyone I’ve spoken to who was a friend of Nathanel – their faces just light up when I say his name, that’s how he made people feel, he made people smile.”

Nathanel’s funeral took place two days after his death, during which an air raid siren rang out while Ms Young read her eulogy.

“It was a horrific moment when almost 1,000 people, maybe more, had to all lie on the ground. Like basically trying to save their own lives”, Ms Young told LBC.

“As you can imagine, there were people there from my family who have never experienced something like that in their lives. There are no shelters there, that cemetery. So they were on the ground, hands on head, right in the middle of a speech - right in the middle of a funeral.

“Then we had missiles explode. It was terrifying. But I just got up and carried on, because in that particular moment, I just was like: okay, I need to give him the honour. And I just continued. We just thought: the show must go on. We deserve to be able to say goodbye with respect and give him the full honour.”

“He just wanted to protect the country and protect his people. And I'm sure in the end, that's what the vast majority of all of us want.”

She also addressed the 650% rise in anti-Semitic incidents in her home city of London.

She told LBC: “It is absolutely heartbreaking to see. Anyone would think, why doesn't Gabby just leave Israel and go to London because there's a war on? But then then I see what's happening in London. I don't know which one's more terrifying.

“To have British families being scared to send their children to school – that’s unacceptable. Jewish people in Jewish schools are being targeted. I think that's kind of where the line gets drawn.

"When 9/11 happened when the Ukraine war happened, all of those things, it was very, very clear. You know, we stand with Ukraine, we stand with the Americans, but in this in this situation, to think that terrorist organizations have British people supporting them as is very, very worrying.”