Staff-Sergeant Itay Chen's remains were returned to Israel on Tuesday night. The Israeli-American was serving in the IDF on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked his tank on the Gaza border, and he was taken into the Gaza Strip.
Chen was taken with Matan Angrest, the remains of Capt. Daniel Perez and Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz.
He was initially thought to have been alive, but his family later learned that he had been killed on October 7, 2023, and his body was being held captive. His father, Ruby Chen, has been a loud campaigner for the return of all the hostages, speaking at Hostage Square and around the world, including at the UN Security Council.
Psychological torture at the hands of Hamas
Although the IDF notified the family last year that he had not survived, they clung to the hope that he might still be alive.
Chen’s family continued to speak about him in the present tense, holding on to any hope that their son could be alive.
"It's been a battle ever since to just get the simple acknowledgement from Hamas, this terrorist organization that did not even acknowledge, to this day, that they have him in their possession and what his physical status is," said Rudy Chen
Who was Itay Chen?
Chen was born in the US but grew up in Netanya, frequently visiting his father’s hometown of New York. He is described as fun, energetic, kind, and the glue of his family.
He wasn’t supposed to be on duty that morning, he had switched weekends with another soldier so as to attend his brother's bar mitzvah the next week but on October 7 all of his plans for a “beautiful life” were disrupted.
As a child, Chen was a Boy Scout; he played basketball and judo, sang and danced, traveled, and loved his PlayStation. According to the Hostage Forum, he was a senior instructor in youth movements. His loved ones shared that he was always willing to experience everything life had on offer.
His father called him the family’s much-adored “sandwich,” who lived as if “he had no time” and enjoyed everything to the fullest.
Chen’s family has been waiting for the return of his body to be able to sit shiva and hold a Jewish funeral. His father says he will not sit shiva for his son until he sees him again, dead or alive.