Ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, Ruby Chen, the father of 19-year-old IDF soldier and American hostage Itay Chen, spoke with Rhiannon Ally on ABC News Live in an emotional interview.
“We have no idea who is alive or not, including my son. And we just need to get this to an end,” Chen said.
An Israeli soldier visits an installation honoring those who were killed and kidnapped in the Supernova music festival during the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants, at the site of the festival near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel, Oct. 6, 2024.
Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
Chen, who is originally from New York City, describes his son as “a fun-loving kid” who joined the IDF at the age of 18. Itay and his team were ambushed while protecting a kibbutz on Oct. 7, and he has not heard from him since, Chen said.
He also shared that he recently spoke with the White House to advocate for imposing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Iran, which recently launched a missile attack against Israel.
After watching negotiations between Israel and Hamas fail for months, Chen said he and other loved ones of the hostages should have a voice in the discussions.
“The sad part about it is that there is no accountability for the failed negotiations. Once that failed negotiation happens, we don’t see any accountability on any side, not from the mediators of Egypt, not on Israel, not on Hamas,” Chen said.
“We should also be allowed to that equation as well,” he said.