Hostage Remains Received On Tuesday Are Of US-Israeli Citizen: Israel

Last Updated:November 05, 2025, 16:36 IST

Israel received Itay Chen's remains via Red Cross under a US-brokered ceasefire. Only seven deceased hostages remain in Gaza.

A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighbourhood, following the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Israel received remains of the last US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza as part pf the US-brokered ceasefire deal, authorities said.

CNN quoted Israel as saying on Tuesday that it received a coffin containing the remains via the Red Cross in Gaza and later transported it to Israel’s national forensics laboratory where he was identified. The deceased has been identified as Itay Chen, a staff sergeant who served in the Armored Corps. He was stationed at the Gaza border on October 7.

With this, only seven deceased hostages remain in Gaza.

“For 760 days, our dear and beloved son Itay, a hero of Israel, was held captive by Hamas. Last night, we received the bittersweet news of his return home to Israel," his family said in a statement. They also said the bodies of the remaining hostages held in Gaza “must be brought back".

Expressing condolence, the office of the Israeli prime minister said the government “shares in the deep sorrow of the Chen family and of all the families of the fallen hostages".

On Sunday, Hamas handed over the bodies of three deceased hostages. CNN quoted US President Donald Trump as confirming that one of them was Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American dual national killed in the initial Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

On Thursday, Hamas released remains of two hostages, identified as Amiram Cooper (84) and Sahar Baruch (25).

The ceasefire was brokered through a lattice of American, Egyptian, and Qatari diplomacy. The agreement, stitched together under intense American pressure, halted large-scale Israeli offensives and opened Gaza’s borders to a trickle of humanitarian relief. In return, Hamas pledged a halt to attacks and the gradual release of hostages—living and dead.

Teams from Egypt and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have joined the search for bodies of deceased hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of resorting to “pathetic attempts to deceive us, the United States, and the world" and instructed the military to carry out “immediate, powerful strikes" in Gaza. The strikes killed at least 104 Palestinians.

News world Hostage Remains Received On Tuesday Are Of US-Israeli Citizen: Israel

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