IDF: Soldier Itay Chen was killed during Hamas’s Oct. 7 onslaught, body held in Gaza
Military chief rabbi declares death of tank crew member stationed at border, a dual US-Israeli citizen, based on findings and new intelligence information
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Tuesday the death of soldier Sgt. Itay Chen, 19, who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7, as the war against the terror group raged for its 158th day.
Chen served in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 75th Battalion. His body was taken from the Gaza border following a battle with terrorists during the Hamas onslaught.
Until now, he was listed as one of the 253 hostages abducted by the terror group on October 7. Recently, the army’s chief rabbi declared Chen’s death based on findings and new intelligence information.
Chen’s family has chosen not to sit shiva, the traditional Jewish week-long mourning period, until his body is returned from the Strip for burial.
The dual US-Israeli citizen, from the coastal city of Netanya, was last heard from at 6:40 a.m. on October 7, when Hamas terrorists invaded the Gaza border communities, including the area where Chen was stationed in his tank. Two days later, Chen’s family was notified that he was officially considered missing in action, and likely held captive by Hamas.
His father, New York-born Ruby Chen, has been one of the most outspoken proponents for the families of the hostages and has met with US President Joe Biden.
The president issued a statement Tuesday saying he was devastated to learn of Chen’s death, and recalled meeting with his family members at the White House “to share the agony and uncertainty they’ve faced as they prayed for the safe return of their loved one.”
“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through. At the end of our meeting, they gave me a menorah — a solemn reminder that light will always dispel the darkness, and evil will not win,” Biden said. “Today, as we join Itay’s parents, brothers, and family in grieving this tragic loss, we keep this reminder close to our hearts. And I reaffirm my pledge to all the families of those still held hostage: we are with you. We will never stop working to bring your loved ones home.”
The Chen family issued a statement to the press outside their home following the news, calling on the government to reach a deal immediately to bring all the remaining hostages home, including the body of their son.
“Our family has decided that our journey is not over,” said Ruby Chen to reporters, while holding an hourglass depicting time running out. “We decided that we are not sitting shiva until Itay is returned home. We will continue our battle, with all the other [hostage] families, to bring a deal now.”
“There is an opportunity, there is a window, to bring a deal to decrease the suffering of our family, and all the other 133 families,” added Chen. “There is an opportunity, and I call on the prime minister and the government to do everything in their power to reach a deal to bring us and the other families the most basic thing we deserve — our loved ones at home.”
It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 11 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.
The IDF has now confirmed the deaths of 32 of those still held by Hamas — including Chen — citing intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and her fate is still unknown, though her family believes she was killed.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
On Sunday, the IDF announced the death of a soldier killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip, bringing the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 249.
In all, 590 Israeli soldiers and reservists have been killed in the war, more than half of them during the October 7 onslaught.
The war began on October 7 when thousands of Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel under a barrage of rockets fired at population centers all over the country. They brutally killing 1,200 people amid cases of torture and rape and seize 253 hostages. Israel swiftly declared war on Hamas, vowing to topple the terror group’s regime in Gaza and free the hostages.
The Israel Defense Forces has since overrun most of the Palestinian enclave alongside intense airstrikes in a campaign that has killed over 31,000 people, according to Hamas-run Gaza health authorities. These numbers cannot be independently verified and are believed to include over 13,000 terror operatives who were killed in battle as well as Gazans who were killed by terror groups’ misfired rockets. The IDF also killed more than 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on and immediately after October 7.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
