Officials confirmed Tuesday that Itay Chen, a 19-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas in its Oct. 7, 2023, incursion was killed during those attacks.
Chen’s family said in a statement that they were informed by the Israeli military on Monday night. He served as a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces.
“Our hearts are broken. We loved him so much, and we would have done anything to bring him home alive,” his parents, Ruby and Hagit Chen, said in a statement, saying their son “was a fun-loving, bright light for his family and friends and a talented basketball player who loved shooting hoops with his brothers.”
The couple thanked the Biden administration, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and the American people for their support, while saying they “expect” President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to do everything in their power to bring Itay, as well as the other 133 hostages, back home to us.”
“We have come to know all of the families who are waiting for their loved ones, and we will not stop working until every single hostage comes home,” they said. Chen’s family has been very prominent in the push for the release of hostages, meeting with lawmakers and making media appearances. Members of his family attended President Biden's State of the Union address last week.
Biden, recalling a visit from Chen’s father and brother at the White House late last year, said that “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,” the president recalled.
“Today, as we join Itay’s parents, brothers, and family in grieving this tragic loss, we keep this reminder close to our hearts,” Biden said. “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.”
Chen is the latest hostage to be declared dead by Israeli authorities. Israel says 34 of the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip are dead, either killed during Hamas’ attack or while in captivity.
Hamas-led militants took roughly 250 people captive into Gaza, among them men, women, children and older adults. Dozens were released during a temporary cease-fire in late November and about 100 people remain in captivity who are believed to be alive.
The State Department said its top priority is to bring the remaining five U.S. citizens who were believed to be taken hostage home.
"It just reinforces the importance of achieving a deal to bring the remaining hostages home and secure a cease-fire that would alleviate the suffering of those hostages and the people in Gaza," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.