The body of the last remaining U.S. citizen who was among the 251 hostages taken by Hamas from Israel into Gaza in October 2023 has been released, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday night.
In the latest sign of progress under the U.S.-brokered cease-fire, the body of IDF soldier Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, who was an American Israeli dual citizen, was received by the Red Cross in Gaza and returned to Israel for burial.
“Following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the family that Itay had been returned for burial,” the Israeli military said….