The Israeli military has concluded Itay Chen, a 19-year-old U.S.-Israeli dual citizen, was likely killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel.
Mr. Chen had been serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the time of the Hamas attacks and has remained missing in the months since.
Mr. Chen was one of six Americans thought to have been alive in Hamas captivity following the Oct. 7 attack. On Tuesday, the Israeli government concluded he was instead likely killed during the initial attack, with his remains carried off to Gaza after that. The Israeli government further concluded his body is still being held in Gaza.
The IDF honored Mr. Chen in a blog post on Tuesday. The Israeli military service identified Mr. Chen as a member of the 77th Battalion in the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade.
More than 1,100 people were killed on Oct. 7, and thousands more were injured. Following the attack, Israeli and international officials subsequently concluded about 250 people were taken back to the Gaza Strip as hostages.
President Joe Biden expressed his condolences for Mr. Chen’s family in a Tuesday press statement.
“Today, our hearts are heavy. Jill and I are devastated to learn that American Itay Chen was killed by Hamas during its brutal terrorist assault on October 7,” President Biden said.
The president had hosted Mr. Chen’s family members at the White House in December 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,” President Biden continued. “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 Israeli government believes the remains of other deceased U.S.-Israeli citizens are also still being held in the Gaza Strip. In December, President Biden announced Gad Haggai and Judy Weinstein—a husband and wife couple thought kidnapped—likely died on Oct. 7. President Biden offered similar condolences to the couple’s family.
Remaining Hostages
Of the approximately 250 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 112 have been returned alive. Hamas turned over 105 of those hostages during a week-long ceasefire in November in which Israel, in turn, released 240 Palestinians held in Israeli custody, many of whom were children and individuals not yet convicted of a crime.
Hamas voluntarily released another four hostages, and Israeli forces have freed at least three hostages during military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces fired on and killed three hostages in the Shejaiya area of Gaza in December. This trio of hostages had reportedly been waving white cloths and calling for Israeli forces to save them when they died.
Several other hostages have been reported killed in the course of the fighting, though their deaths and the responsible parties are hard to determine at this time.
Ongoing negotiations towards a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have focused on the release of the remaining hostages.
In February, Hamas outlined a more long-term ceasefire proposal, wherein it would return hostages over a four-and-a-half month period, after which Israeli forces would leave the Gaza Strip and the war would end. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Hamas proposal “delusional” and reiterated his pledge to continue the war until Hamas is eradicated outright.
Current talks have centered around Israeli calls for Hamas to release some additional hostages in exchange for a six-week break in the fighting. At a White House press briefing on Tuesday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration is hopeful this initial six-week ceasefire will pave the way for additional rounds of negotiations but said the Hamas side has been reluctant to accept such a framework.
“A ceasefire is on the table today for six weeks, to be built on into something more enduring if Hamas would simply release women, wounded, and elderly,” Mr. Sullivan said. “And the fact that they will not do so says a lot to me about Hamas’s regard for innocent Palestinian civilians. The fact that they are holding on to those folks and refusing to release them, and refusing to step up and say that we could get this ceasefire in place, which not only would bring calm to the fighting but also would create an enormous opportunity to flow humanitarian assistance in in much greater quantities.”
Mr. Sullivan said the Biden administration has encouraged Israeli officials to stay at the negotiating table despite the apparent impasse.
