Israel Confirms Returned Body Is Hostage Sgt. Itay Chen

Overview

• Israeli officials said the remains delivered on Tuesday were positively identified as those of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli-American soldier abducted on Oct. 7, 2023.
• Hamas transferred the coffin through the Red Cross, and the body was moved to a forensic medicine center in Israel before the family was notified.
• The identification marks the 21st deceased hostage returned since the Gaza truce took effect, with returns to date including 19 Israelis, one Thai national, and one Nepali national.
• At the start of the ceasefire, 20 living hostages were in Hamas custody and were freed on Oct. 13, while additional deceased captives remained to be recovered.
• Hamas’s armed wing said Chen’s body was found during search operations in eastern Gaza, as Israel accuses the group of delaying returns and Hamas cites bodies buried under rubble; Gaza’s Naser hospital reported receiving 15 Palestinian prisoners’ bodies in the latest exchange, bringing its total to 285 since the truce began.