It wasn’t just his relatives who feared for him for months. There is now sad certainty about the fate of 19-year-old Itay Chen.
Five months after the Islamist Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, a German-Israeli who was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip has been declared dead. “It is devastating to learn that our German compatriot Itay Chen, who we hoped would still be alive, is dead,” wrote the German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, on Wednesday on the X platform, formerly Twitter.
The 19-year-old was killed by Hamas on October 7 last year and his body was taken to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army had already reported the death of the soldier from the coastal town of Netanya on Tuesday, but without mentioning his other nationalities.
According to media, Chen was also an American citizen. According to Israeli reports, new, unspecified intelligence has led to the conclusion that the man was killed. “Our hearts are broken. We loved him so much and would have done anything to bring him home alive,” his parents said, according to Israeli media.
On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other groups abducted around 250 people to the Gaza Strip as part of a massacre in Israel. During a ceasefire in late November, 105 hostages were released. According to government figures, around 100 hostages are still alive.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
