ISRAEL’S rank and file heroes vowed to avenge the 1,400 victims of the Hamas bloodbath, roaring: “Bring it on.”

They include a young soldier displaying a T-shirt tribute to his commander — who was beheaded by the savages.

The Sun on Sunday met a string of young Israeli squaddies, many of them barely out of their teens, along the Gaza border as they prepared for yesterday’s blitz of the terror group’s strongholds.

They all made it clear they were up for the fight and were determined to make Hamas terrorists pay for their bloodthirsty atrocity.

Female recruits Yuval, 21, and Limor, 24, underlined the mixed nature of the Israeli military, in which 20 per cent of combat troops are women.

Limor said: “We are ready – everyone is ready. If we have to fight, we will.”

Countless Israelis have a personal reason to take the fight to Hamas, including Niv Vokhin, 21.

He was wearing a white T-shirt over his green combats to commemorate his commander, Captain Raz Perets, of the elite Golani Brigade, who was one of those killed in the October 7 attacks.

The crack infantry unit was formed just before Israel was founded in 1948 and has fought in every war the country has been engaged in, including this one.

Niv said he could not wait for the fight to begin as he revealed that Capt Perets was not just murdered by Hamas savages.

Drawing a finger across his neck he said: “I saw his body, it had no head.”

His pal Ori Shely, 20, was also enjoying some brief down time at a pop-up military burger joint before the major assault was launched on Gaza on Friday night.

He said: “I love burgers, I’ll look like one soon — but the time for joking will soon be over.

“I feel terrible about what happened. I had four friends who were killed that day.

“But we don’t allow ourselves time to think about that now. We are too busy concentrating on how we will respond.”

The temporary restaurant is just one of many that have sprung up around Israel to feed troops called up at such speed that many did not have time to pack supplies.

Launched by former military pilot Nel Radel, 58, it is run by a 100-strong squad of volunteers who call themselves the A Team.

Nel, in charge of what he reckons is now Israel’s biggest burger restaurant as it dishes up 20,000 meals a day, said: “My friend who I have known since I was eight was killed.

“The attack was a violent slap in the face and reminded us that we are surrounded by people who want to kill us.

Read Related Also: California's (Maryland's?) Newest Senator Can See the $$$ on the Wall, Won't Run for Reelection

“Our military will not take that lying down – and our burger bar is just one small way of helping them win the fight.”

We also met a tank commander who was being driven back to the front by his wife Tal, 25, after enjoying a 24-hour pass with his family.

The mum-of-two said: “It was so nice to have him home even for just one day. We didn’t want to give him back, but we had to – for Israel.”

She added: “It was so shocking what happened on October 7.

“Not in our wildest nightmares did we think that something as awful as that could take place.

“But we are finding strength wherever we can.”

Israel suddenly feels like a militarised society.

Every service station and roadside cafe is now packed with soldiers, all on their way to the front, or on manoeuvres.

They all have an M16 or similar weapon slung over their shoulders.

On the road north to Lebanon where a battle with Hezbollah fanatics is looming as well, Ora Beran is also helping to run a vital pop-up feeding station.

Landscape architect Ora, 58, whose family hails from Glasgow, said: “It all happened so quickly after October 7 that a lot of soldiers grabbed what they needed and left home.

“They didn’t even have time to get some food together. Every good Jewish mother makes sure their child has food and this is just what we are doing.”

National service is compulsory in Israel. All men serve a minimum of two years and eight months, and women two years, with some religious exceptions.

That means the country has a huge well of trained soldiers to call on in times of crisis to add to its overwhelmingly superior firepower.

Israel has more than 2,000 tanks, 600 planes and 173,000 soldiers – and has called up 300,000 reservists to boost its ranks.

That compares to Hamas’s estimated 35,000 fighters and depleted stockpile of rockets.

It instills huge confidence in the rank and file soldiers we met who would be soon storming the Hamas barricades.

Adiel Nogarky, 24, said: “Will Israel be victorious? That is not even a question. The answer is so clear to us that we do not consider it.”