Ruby Chen, the father of U.S.-Israeli hostage Itay Chen told Newsmax on Friday that even if all 33 hostages are released by Hamas in phase one of the ceasefire agreement, “the job is not complete” until all the hostages come home.
Ruby Chen, who has both U.S. and Israeli citizenship, lost his son in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Chen and his wife initially thought their son was a hostage, but in March 2024 they learned he was killed the day of the attack.
Chen thanked President Joe Biden and President-elect Trump for working to get to a ceasefire agreement that included the release of some hostages but noted that “there will still be 65 hostages left in captivity with no guarantee that we will get to the second phase.”
“If all goes well, there will still be five American citizens that will be still in captivity ... so it just means that there's more work to be done. And the job is not complete. And that is why we are here in Washington,” Chen said during an appearance on “American Agenda.”
Chen Ruby noted that Friday was day 469 of their tragedy and that they still have not gotten any word on their son from Hamas. Once his son is confirmed dead, Chen Ruby fully expects to have his son's body repatriated. “It’s just a very cruel organization. Savages that do not even allow the International Red Cross or any type of doctors to go in and visit the hostages. So, we got some intelligence information. Again, it’s complete until we see him,” Chen added.
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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