After 759 days of fear and painful uncertainty, my son Itay has finally returned to us from captivity in Gaza. Since he was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, bringing him home has been the only thing me and my family have dreamed of.
We prayed for a different ending, one in which my son would walk through the door alive. We prayed for a return where we could hear his voice again, laugh with him, and hug him. But that is not the reality we face.
We will bury Itay in the coming days, and when his body is laid to rest, our hearts will break again. They will break in ways they have not broken since the day Itay, along with other members of his tank crew, fought and died as heroes, saving countless lives with their courage. Only one of their crew, Matan, survived, and thankfully, after more than two years of captivity, he is back home, embraced by his family. We had hoped for a similar miracle, but that was not to be.
FROM OCTOBER 7 CAPTIVE TO FREEDOM: PRESIDENT TRUMP SAVED ME – AND I BELIEVE HE CAN FREE THE REMAINING HOSTAGES
Ruby Chen’s son, IDF Sergeant Itay Chen, was serving along the Gaza border when he was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7. (IDF)
That Itay returned for burial in Israel was unfathomably painful, but merciful nonetheless. As long as Itay remained in captivity in Gaza, we have not been able to grieve, grieve, move forward and hopefully come back to life.
I am incredibly grateful to the US government for its continued efforts to secure the release of the hostages. Their leadership and conviction ensured that we did not wait endlessly for the return of our loved ones. Without this political will, without their intervention, we would have been left with more unanswered questions and more daily pain. We could never truly grieve.
But even as we grieve, we cannot forget the families who are still waiting.
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American Israeli Itay Chen (left) with his family before being taken hostage by Hamas terrorists. (The Chen family)
Even with Itay’s return and our personal closure, the pain is far from over for the families whose loved ones are left behind. Six families are still waiting for their loved ones to return from Gaza. We can’t go any further. We cannot close this chapter. For them, the nightmare is far from over. For these families, and for all of us, the war is not over yet. Our struggle is not complete. We can’t rest until every last hostage is home.
The loss of those murdered on that dark, dark day of October 7, along with the terrible toll of the war that followed, has shattered many. But we know that from this deep tragedy we must build something stronger. I pray that the ultimate sacrifice of so many, including Itay, will not be forgotten, and that it will push us toward a future of unity and healing for the people of Israel.
This is a turning point for our nation. Israel cannot simply return to business as usual, to petty politics, to rhetoric, to fighting between us and our neighbors. We need to rebuild not only our country, but also our sense of belonging. We must rebuild the spirit of Israel, a spirit in which unity is our true strength. We must rebuild in memory and honor of all we have lost. We owe it to them to do our utmost to end this endless cycle of violence with our neighbors, for a better future for all our children.
President Donald Trump announced an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages. (Leon Neal/Getty; Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty)
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We are at a crossroads. The Israeli people have been tested by grief. Israel’s future depends on the leadership that emerges from this crisis. We need leaders now who will unite us, who will bring healing and restoration.
As I bury my son, I choose to believe that his sacrifice and the sacrifice of so many others will lead to something greater, to an Israel united as never before, where we stand together in the face of this terrible tragedy, where we strive for a better country and a better region, and where we pledge to never leave anyone behind again.
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