RUBY CHEN: My son is home from Gaza, but our fight is not over

A grieving parent speaks out about preparing for the burial of his hero son Itay, who was returned from Gaza earlier this week as part of the Trump ceasefire deal.

Ruby is the father of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli-American who was taken captive by the Hamas terrorist organization on Oct. 7, 2023. Although the Israel Defense Force believes Itay may have been killed, Ruby, who lives in Israel with his wife, Hagit, and their two other children, continues to hold out hope his son is alive.

We will bury Itay in the coming days, and when his body is laid to rest, our hearts will break once again. They will break in ways they have not broken since that day when Itay, along with other members of his tank crew, fought and died as heroes, saving countless lives with their bravery. Only one of their crew, Matan, survived, and thankfully, following over two years in captivity, he is once again in his home, embraced by his family. We had hoped for a similar miracle, but it was not to be.