Dad of Slain US-Israeli to Newsmax: More Must Be Done to Return Hostages

Ruby Chen, father of dual U.S.-Israeli Itay Chen, 19, who was killed and abducted by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, told Newsmax on Monday more needs to be done get his son's body returned, as well as for the other hostages being held by the Islamic regime's proxy.

"We've been in this for about a year now," Ruby Chen told "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "And, you know, we've gone through the holidays from Thanksgiving to Christmas to Easter. We've done full cycle. There have been birthdays, anniversaries. And the question is, how long, you know, do we keep on going?

"It feels like it's just one continuous day that just keeps going over and over again. And the U.S. has an obligation to seven U.S. citizens that are in harm's way. And how do we get them out?"

Four dual U.S.-Israeli citizens taken hostage by Hamas are believed to be alive — Edan Alexzander, 20, Omer Neutra, 22, Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Keith Siegel, 65. Three others, including Itay Chen, have been confirmed by Israel authorities as dead but their bodies remain in Gaza. The others are Judi Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai, a couple in their 70s.

"The last time I spoke to him was a year ago, one year," said Ruby Chen, who was born in New York and moved his family to Israel. "And I'd like to ask you and your viewers to think about it: The last time you spoke to your kid was a year ago. Where is he?"

Chen said Israel has done a lot to diminish Iran's influence in the Middle East by dismantling Hamas and Hezbollah. But he said it can't wage such a fight against Iran alone.

"In order to go after the head of the snake, it requires the international community, not just the United States, but other allies that share the same values as we do, such as Germany and France," he said. "It cannot just happen by itself, by Israel. There needs to be a coordinated attempt to do as much damage as possible to Iran, and it does not need to be only military. Just as an example, the economic sanctions that are not being enforced by the United States, oil being sold to China, and there are many other dimensions to put pressure. [It] doesn't only need to be a military-type of dimension."

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