Israel Confirms Return of body of Israeli-American Hostage Itay Chen
GAZA – The remains of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli-American citizen held hostage by hamas since the October 7th attack on southern Israel, have been returned to Israel, officials confirmed Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco rubio stated on X, “We honor his life, mourn his loss, and stand with his family.”
Chen was among the approximately 251 peopel abducted during the Hamas-led assault, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed in Israel.
The Hostages and Missing Families forum in Israel welcomed ChenS return but emphasized that seven hostages remain deceased in Gaza. “Please don’t stop until they are all back home. Until the last hostage,” the forum stated.
Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of deceased hostages since the ceasefire deal took effect on October 10th. Hamas maintains that locating the bodies is difficult due to rubble.
As of Tuesday, five of the seven deceased hostages still in Gaza are Israelis, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.
The return of Chen’s remains comes amid ongoing efforts to establish a framework for post-conflict governance in Gaza. The U.S. has reportedly drafted a UN security Council resolution proposing a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body, known as the board of Peace, and an International Stabilisation Force (ISF). The ISF would be tasked with securing borders with Egypt and Israel, demilitarizing Gaza, protecting civilians, and training a new Palestinian police force, authorized to “use all necessary measures” to fulfill its mandate. The draft has not yet been formally circulated for negotiation.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement,Hamas agreed to release all 20 living and 28 deceased hostages in its custody within 72 hours. All living Israeli hostages were released on November 13th in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Israel has, in turn, handed over the bodies of 270 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of 18 Israeli hostages, along with the remains of two foreign hostages – one Thai and one Nepalese. Fifteen additional Palestinian bodies are expected to be returned in exchange for Sgt. Chen.
The conflict has resulted in a significant humanitarian crisis. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 68,800 people have been killed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.On Tuesday, a hospital official in Gaza City reported a man was killed by Israeli fire in the jabalia area; the Israeli military stated its troops killed a “terrorist” who crossed the “Yellow Line” and posed a threat.
