‘I flew from the UK to Israel ready to fight in the war against Hamas’

A British-Israeli woman has left the UK to fight Hamas in Israel in the wake of the terror attacks.

Since the conflict began on Saturday, Israel and Hamas have been locked in deadly combat as troops on both sides try to gain ground.

Earlier this week, Israel began their siege of the Gaza strip, cutting off electricity, water, and started massing troops on the border potential preparation for an attack.

Following the start of the war, thousands of reservists have been called up to help fight Hamas and some have begun flying in from around the world, including Moriah Mencer.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, the 21-year-old explained that she was visiting England when the attacks occurred.

Although born in England, she moved to Israel as a child, racing back there “as fast as she could”.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Ms Mencer was visiting England when the attacks occurred.

Although born in England, she moved to Israel as a child, racing back there after Hamas attacked the country “as fast as she could”.

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She said: “I am British. I was born in England and lived there until the age of 10/11, then I moved to Israel. My whole family is in England and I come and visit quite often, but the moment I realised what was going on with my friends I quickly came back to Israel as fast as I could.

“I was supposed to return but I realised it might have to happen sooner rather than later so that I could help in any way possible.”

Ms Mencer is a former member of the Israel Defence Force (IDF), explaining how she was trained like a soldier.

She said: “I was a member of the IDF. I was a former soldier and commander and I was in a unit that I can’t say too much about but we are trained soldiers.

“Because it was quite a new unit we weren’t ready to build a reserve army that calls people up at times of need, so that’s why I hadn’t been called up but obviously, if anything is needed then I will be more than happy to join.

“The unit that I trained in is an only girls unit. Only girl’s units don’t tend to go to the frontline. They don’t go into Gaza or don’t stand on the frontline.

“They make sure that our borders are safe in general, they do fight in battles, but not frontline going into Gaza. Being women it’s a bit difficult, it’s a bit of a complex situation.”

Ms Mencer explained that while she was back in Israel to volunteer, that she wouldn’t be sent to the frontline, instead roles would be assigned via WhatsApp.

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She said: “There’s quite a few different aspects. I’m in a WhatsApp group that calls up reserve militants.

“There will be messages sent out exactly what training is needed for the specific job exactly in what area of the country, so if I see anything that is relevant to me I will join and help my friends but I won’t be first line in the military aspect.

“I see volunteering as much more than that, we have a country to support not only the soldiers but the civilians who’ve gone through a really tough time.

“Whether it’s finding places for people to stay, people from the south whose homes have been completely ruined, people that just need cheering up, who’ve lost loved ones, who need help packing food for soldiers.”

Other tasks include helping people who have lost their homes and raising money and collecting donations to support the war effort. Ms Mencer also revealed what her family thought about her decision to fly back to Israel.

She said: “My family first of all were very concerned when I told them that I would be leaving as soon as I could.

“They were very concerned, they kept telling me to be safe and to be careful and they didn’t want me to rush into it, but they saw I wasn’t sleeping properly in England.

“I wasn’t eating properly, they saw that I needed to be back home I needed to be with my friends and my family and they stood behind it.

“They helped me buy a plane ticket because my plane had been cancelled twice, in the end, they managed to buy me another ticket so they have supported me, but they are concerned at the same time.”

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