The poignant story of a Magen David Adom volunteer killed on IDF duty during the Gaza conflict helped MDA UK to raise a record-breaking £1.9 million from its annual dinner in central London on Monday.

Barkai Shor, 21, had volunteered for MDA at every opportunity and trained as an ambulance driver, his father, Yaron, told the 320 guests at the Rosewood Hotel. He had hoped to study medicine.

The young soldier died in a gunfire exchange near Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel. His family learned of his death on July 27, the same day his ambulance licence arrived in the post.

"Life just stopped three months ago," Mr Shor said afterwards. "When the three officers of the army came [with news of his death], we knew life would not be the same.

"Anyone who knew Barkai knew he was such a gentle boy. He was very obligated to his combat tasks. He thought it was necessary.

"Now we are obligated to continue his way. We are dedicated to memorising his way of doing good deeds. Through the story of Barkai, I wanted to show that an MDA volunteer and a combat soldier is such a man of sensitivity.

"We have to take him out of the shade of humbleness. If he was alive, we couldn't say one-tenth of what we said today because he wouldn't let us.

"You never hear about the good deeds they do when they are still alive. Only when they are dead. So many people came and told us, 'you know what he did for me'? We didn't know because he's so humble."

Mr Shor added: "Our children, our sons, are not like some foreign legionnaires in France. I understand for non-Jewish people in the UK, France or Sweden, it's difficult to understand. But if people come to Israel and have a conversation with a soldier, they can see."

Comedian Jimmy Carr, who performed at the event, thanked Mr Shor for telling his son's story. "It was wonderful and brave and incredible to witness.

"It's an honour and privilege to be here this evening. This is a wonderful organisation. You've filled out your pledge cards, right?"

New MDA UK chairman David Curtis said that "throughout this summer, and even today, the extraordinary service that MDA provides has never been more manifest and its need for our support has never been more evident.

"Israel's emergency services have to contend with unique challenges and no other country anywhere in the world faces the neighbouring differences and external aggression Israel does. Which means it needs more than Israel alone can provide. Charity has always been a crucial factor in Israel's survival and success."

Barkai Shor was also the focus of MDA UK's Rosh Hashanah appeal, which raised £155,000.