After 760 days: The body of the kidnapped soldier, Sergeant Itai Chen, the armored fighter who fell on October 7 and whose body was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, has been returned to Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas.
""After completing the identification process by the National Center for Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the family of the missing abductee, armored fighter Sergeant Itai Chen, that their loved one had been returned to Israel and his identification had been completed," it was reported.
""The Israeli government shares in the deep sorrow of the Chen family and all the families of the fallen hostages. The government and the entire Israeli security apparatus are determined, committed and working tirelessly to return all of our fallen hostages for a proper burial in their country.".
Sergeant Itay Chen, 19 years old in Noflo, was the middle son of three brothers. Itay grew up in Netanya, studied in an excellent class and was a promising athlete. He loved to play basketball, climb climbing walls, travel around the country, and the summer before his enlistment, he worked as a camp instructor. As a teenager, he was involved in social activities and was a young Shelah instructor (field, nationality, society) as part of the Ministry of Education's Shelah and Country Knowledge program. Although he was injured during his role as an instructor, he insisted on continuing in his role and later enlisted as a fighter in the 77th Armored Battalion.
On October 7th, Itay went out to fight with great courage alongside his tank comrades. Sergeant Tomer Leibowitz was killed in battle, and Itay was kidnapped along with the rest of the tank crew: Captain Daniel Peretz, who was buried, and Sergeant Matan Engerst, who returned from captivity after over two years.
Itay is survived by his parents, Ruby and Hagit, and his two brothers, Roy and Alon.
On March 12, 2024, the IDF permitted publication that Itai had fallen in battle and his body was being held by the Hamas terrorist organization. He is the last kidnapped soldier from the current war, and the last one to hold American citizenship.
Seven hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza - five of them Jews and two foreign nationals: Hadar Goldin, Manny Goddard, Lior Rudaif, Dror Or, Ran Gueili, and Joshua Loito Molal and Suttisak Rintlak.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
