Remains of the Last American Hostage Held in Gaza Returned to Israel

Israeli officials told Itay Chen’s family last year that he was probably killed on Oct. 7, 2023, but relatives put off mourning until his body had come home.

The body of the last and youngest of the American hostages held in Gaza was returned to Israel on Tuesday.

“The remains of Itay Chen, a young American taken hostage by Hamas at just 19 years old, have finally returned home,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday. “We honor his life, mourn his loss and stand with his family.”

Mr. Chen, a dual citizen who was born and raised in Israel and was serving in the military on Oct. 7, 2023, was initially presumed to have been taken alive to Gaza. Last year, the Israeli military told his parents that its intelligence indicated he had apparently been killed that day while defending civilians near the Gaza border, during the Hamas-led attack that set off the devastating war in the enclave.

In an interview on Wednesday, Ruby Chen, Itay’s father, said the family did not perform Jewish mourning rites at the time and refused to do so until his body was returned. He described family members during their long waiting period as “dead men walking,” saying the repatriation of his son’s remains is now “saving the living” and allowing relatives to “be whole” after more than two years of anguish, waiting and campaigning for his return.

Itay was his middle child, with an older and younger brother. “He was a loving kid,” Mr. Chen said.

Mr. Chen said he was feeling “a mixed bag of emotions,” including loss and also some relief, gratitude for the commitment of the United States government and Israel to bringing back the hostages, and concern for the remains of other captives in Gaza.

“There is no joy in laying your child to rest, but there is relief and there is peace for the soul,” Hagit Chen, Itay’s mother, said in a statement on Wednesday from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing relatives of some of the captives.

“Every family of the fallen hostages deserves this bare minimum,” she added, vowing to continue campaigning for the release of bodies until the last of them is returned.

Her statement echoed a sentiment expressed on Monday by Orna Neutra, the mother of Omer Neutra, a New York native. Like Itay Chen, he was a dual Israeli American citizen, serving in the Israeli military when he was killed and his body was taken to Gaza. His remains were returned to Israel earlier this week and a vigil was held for him at Columbus Circle on Monday.

On Wednesday evening, a day after Mr. Chen’s remains were returned, the office of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said it had received another body of a hostage that Hamas turned over to the Red Cross, but had yet to identify the remains. If the body is identified as that of one of the captives, there would be six that have yet to be returned. All the living hostages have been freed.

Ruby Chen, who is from New York, said he had spent “a lot of time” with President Trump explaining why returning all of those who were taken, living or dead, was critical to the families. “He understands the significance,” Mr. Chen said.

A push by the Trump administration, along with mediators from Qatar and Egypt, to reach a cease-fire, release the remaining hostages and increase humanitarian aid in Gaza culminated in a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas in October.

This has led to the release of 20 remaining living captives and the repatriation of the remains of more than 20 people. As part of the agreement, Israel has released more than 250 Palestinian prisoners serving sentences for violent attacks, and more than 1,700 people who had been detained in Gaza and held without charges.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel has been required to return 15 deceased Palestinians for each body of an Israeli hostage. Remains have been returned to Palestinians without identification, raising questions about the circumstances of their deaths.

Mr. Chen said he was eager to see peace for the volatile region. Speaking for his family, he said, “We hope Itay’s ultimate sacrifice will be a catalyst for the people in the Middle East to have a better future.”

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