Overview
- German Ambassador Steffen Seibert confirmed the handover, saying Chen had been returned from Gaza.
- Chen was a 19-year-old Israeli soldier with German and US citizenship who was killed on October 7 in Nahal Oz, according to the Israeli army.
- The transfer forms part of a phased US-mediated deal that arranged exchanges and the repatriation of remains.
- Hamas has returned 21 bodies to date, with seven deceased hostages still in Gaza, including two foreign nationals abducted from Israel.
- Chen’s parents had urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to use Germany’s ties with Turkey to press Hamas to accept the framework.