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British Man, 20, Serving In Israeli Army Killed In Hamas Attack, Says Family

A second British national "is in Gaza" following kidnappings by Hamas, the country's ambassador to Britain saiTel Aviv, Israel:

A British man who was serving in the Israeli army died in the attack by Hamas militants, his family said on Sunday, as another man was reported missing.

Nathanel Young, 20, "was killed on the Gaza border yesterday," a family Facebook post said.

Nathanel Young, who was originally from north London, had been living in accommodation for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in Raanana, north of Tel Aviv, the Jewish News added.

A second British national "is in Gaza" following kidnappings by Hamas, the country's ambassador to Britain said.

"I know there is one British citizen who is in Gaza at the moment," Tzipi Hotovely told Sky News, without clarifying if he had been abducted.

"The Israeli government is doing everything we can to help those who are held hostage and every citizen who is taken is returned," she said.

The ambassador did not name the missing man but the mother of Jake Marlowe, 26, who moved to Israel from Britain two years ago, said her son had not been heard from since the attack.

She said he had been providing security at the rave party in the desert near Kibbutz Reim close to the Gaza border that was attacked.

"He was doing security at this rave yesterday and called me at 4:30 am to say all these rockets were flying over," his mother, who gave her name as Lisa, told the Jewish News.

"Then, at about 5:30 am, he texted to say 'signal very bad, everything OK, will keep you updated I promise you', and that he loves me," she said.

"He is missing, we don't know for sure that he is taken hostage or dead or in a hospital," added an embassy spokesperson.

Britain's Foreign Office said it was "in contact with -- and assisting -- the families of several individuals" following the escalation in violence.

New Delhi: The Israeli military has been striking Hamas group's positions in the Gaza Strip in a counterattack following a massive rocket attack yesterday. Over 600 have died in the war since it started yesterday.

A straight comparison of the military strength of the Hamas group and the Israeli armed forces is not possible since Hamas fights a terrorist, unconventional battle.

The intriguing use of relatively new weapons systems such as drones and gliders in addition to extended range rockets, however, points to a different and more advanced form of terrorist operations.

Armed drones have been used for the first time by Hamas to take out Israel's most well-defended tank, the Merkava IV.

While the use of rockets is not uncommon for Hamas, the fact that some rockets have had the range to hit Tel Aviv more than 70 km away points to the use of relatively advanced guidance and propulsion systems.

The Hamas group also tried to enter Israel through a maritime route; many of these boats were intercepted by Israeli forces.

All these weapons systems have been used as part of Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades, the military battalions that carry out terrorist operations.

The attack this time has seen Hamas use, once again, hostage-taking and the use of civilians as human shields as standard operating procedure. Many of the terrorists who infiltrated into Israel may also have been deployed on one-way missions.

Israel, while renowned for its intelligence apparatus through multiple agencies, will now have to rely heavily on its conventional military strength in the event of a larger military conflict, one that now sees inevitable.

The Israeli Air Force, one of the most technologically advanced in the world, have these weapon systems:

  • F-35 stealth fighters
  • A wide range of smart bombs that strike targets with minimum collateral damage
  • A highly network-centric system of operations where sensors are used at multiple levels to detect and engage targets
  • Approximately 500 Merkava tanks
  • Missile boats with quick reaction systems to take on threats from incoming missiles or naval drones
  • Israel is also a nuclear power, a capability that may not be relevant in the context of the fighting with Hamas, but a deterrent if the conflict extends beyond its boundaries.