A BRITISH soldier says she is willing to die to save Israel — and “all of humanity”.
Kinneret Hamburger, 23, is one of 300,000 reservists called up by Israel to fight the battle to crush Hamas.
Ian WhittakerBritish IDF fighter Kinneret Hamburger, showing off a pair of Union Flag socks, reveals how she is helping take the battle to Hamas[/caption]
Ian WhittakerKinneret — the granddaughter of a holocaust survivor — is a keen Manchester United fan who regularly visits her family in England[/caption]
But the Israel Defence Forces lieutenant is clear this is not just a fight to save Israel from Hamas — it is a fight to save the western world.
She said: “These terror groups are coming for us all. If Israel doesn’t defeat Hamas, then the West is next in line.
“You will see terror attacks in Trafalgar Square and Oxford Street. It is hard for us to believe they want to kill us, but they do.
“We are in a fight for all of humanity, so anyone who believes in life needs to take a stand.
“I wouldn’t call it world war at this stage, because at the moment it is only the IDF fighting Hamas. But we are doing it for the sake of the whole world.”
Kinneret — the granddaughter of a holocaust survivor — is a keen Manchester United fan who regularly visits her family in England.
She has grandparents in Cricklewood, North London, and also in Manchester.
Kinneret was due to start her second year studying law at university — and was looking forward to moving into a new flat the next day — when she was woken early on October 7 by a siren.
She grabbed her phone to check social media for news of a terror attack and got an urgent text message from her reservist unit saying: “Come to base.”
Kinneret said: “It was a holiday, so I was with all of my family at a hotel when the siren woke me up.
“Before I even had a chance to check what was happening, I got the text message.
“My older brother and his wife — who are also reservists — were also on their way to their bases, as were all of my friends.
“I didn’t even pack my bag. I just got in my car and drove. My mum packed my things at the hotel for me later.”
Kinneret now has a crucial role in Israel’s war on terror, but cannot reveal operational details for security reasons.
But she was happy to meet The Sun in an open air cafe in Tel Aviv to explain why Israel is in a fight, not just for its own survival, but for all of western civilisation.
As we spoke, five booms erupted over our heads — a loud reminder that this country is at war.
“Iron Dome,” she said, calmly explaining how the country’s anti-missile system had just taken out incoming Hamas rockets.
Kinneret reflects the mixed nature of the Israeli army, where 20 per cent of combat soldiers are female.
She said: “A lot of women are fighting in combat roles. I read about a female commander whose unit killed 100 terrorists.
“If it comes to a situation where I have to fire my gun, then there is no question. I have no other choice. Hamas declared war and so we have no option but to fight for our lives.
“Ever since Hamas terrorists were running around our communities with RPGs and Kalashnikovs, we’ve been in combat roles.
“Some people might consider it strange that young women like me are going to war.
“But we have grown up with constant sirens, knowing we would do national service and knowing we are surrounded by people who educate their kids from the age of six to murder Jews. I am fighting not just for my life, but for everyone who values life.”
Kinneret said Israelis are sacrificing themselves not just for their country, but for the West too.
She said: “That’s why world leaders like Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak have been here. They understand that if Israel doesn’t defeat Hamas, the West is next in line.”
Kinneret’s textile engineer mum Maryon, 54, grew up in London and met her economist dad Carl, 56, while studying at university in Manchester, where he lived.
They dated, split up and then both emigrated to Israel separately.
They met again, got back together and then married and had four children, three of them sons.
EPASmoke billows from the northern part of the Gaza Strip as a result of an Israeli airstrike[/caption]
ReutersKinneret was due to start her second year studying law at university when she was woken early on October 7 by a siren[/caption]
Ian WhittakerThe brave student has had little time for her family saying: ‘I am just focused on the mission’[/caption]
They are a close family, but Kinneret has been too focused on the war to have an in-depth conversation with her mother.
She said: “I haven’t got time to talk about feelings and emotions at the moment. I am just focused on the mission.
“I had a friend who was a soldier in a special unit who was murdered in the days after October 7. But I haven’t mourned him yet either. I will find time for that later when we have won the war.
“My mother is strong, like all Israelis. But she is also a mum who worries about her kids, like all mums do. Which one is she at the moment? Probably both.”
In times of peace, she loved visiting her family in England to go shopping in Oxford Street and to stock up on scones and Cadbury’s chocolate.
Kinneret said: “Whenever anyone visits England they are under strict instructions to bring back scones and Cadbury’s chocolate.”
She added: “I am very proud of my British roots.”
To prove it, she showed off a pair of Union Jack socks she was wearing because she had run out of clean Army issue ones.
The light-hearted chat about patriotic socks did not last long before she returned to the business of war.
She revealed she considers it a privilege to defend her country, as she spoke of her pride at serving in the IDF.
She said: “It’s who I am. There is a bit of me that is always a soldier. I may be a lawyer one day, but I will always be an officer in the IDF.”
She has sympathy for innocent Palestinians who are suffering a crushing humanitarian crisis, saying they have been held hostage since Hamas came to power in Gaza nearly 20 years ago.
But she does not have any for the thousands who march in support of Palestine in London and across the world.
She said: “I don’t think there are words that can explain it. People say ‘we are not anti-Semitic, we are anti- Zionist’ or just against the occupation. Don’t fool us. The basis of this hatred is hatred for Jews. It’s anti-Semitic and anti the western world.
“The people in charge of Gaza are educating their children to infiltrate Israel and murder us and that breaks my heart. They want me and my fellow Jews dead.
“The liberal west struggles to understand they want to kill us, but they do.
“They don’t believe in life like we do. They embrace death and want to take us with them. So people who cherish life, not death, need to take a stand.”
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