The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Tuesday (Mar. 12) the death of 19-year-old Sgt. Itay Chen, who was reportedly killed and abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7.
The Times of Israel reported that Chen, a US-Israeli soldier, served in the 7th Armor Brigade's 75th Battalion and was killed in action during the Hamas attack before his body was taken into Gaza during the Israeli counterattack.
His death was recently received by the Military Rabbinate based on findings and new intelligence information.
Chen's family told reporters that they would not hold a funeral or sit shiva, a traditional seven-day Jewish mourning ritual, until his body has been recovered from the strip.
Chen was serving with his unit at Nahal Oz base along the Israel-Gaza border when he was one of the first to fall in the Israeli side on the morning of October 7 but not before he contacted his family on the morning of the massacre at 6:30 and updated them that a war had broken out. Since then, contact was lost.
After two days of being classified as missing, the family was notified [https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/386622] that he was abducted to Gaza with his peers, but they were not told if he was taken alive.
His family met with US President Joe Biden during the first week of the war.
