The parents of a kidnapped Israel-US man joined a protest outside the US Embassy in Israel as they begged President Biden to help bring him home.
Itay Chen, 19, is believed to be among the 130 or more people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Israel over the weekend.
Itay Chen was on the Gaza border at his base at the time of the attack, awaiting his return home for his younger brother’s bar mitzvah this weekend.
The 19-year-old was born in New York City but moved to Netanya, Israel, with his parents and siblings before the attack.
The teenager, who served in Israel’s Defense Forces, has been confirmed as missing in action (MIA) by the IDF and is believed to be captive in the Gaza Strip.
Now his father, Ruby Chen, who is a US citizen and taxpayer, is calling for more help from US authorities to help find his son.
Ruby Chen joined other family members in a protest outside the US Embassy in Tel Aviv on Monday, where they pleaded for President Joe Biden to save Itay.
“We are asking the president to do what he can in order to bring our kids back safely home,” said his father.
The family gathered outside the embassy wearing t-shirts with the 19-year-old’s grinning face on the front that read “Help Find Itay.” Protesters were also seen holding signs that read: “USA protects its citizens!” “Bring Itay Home Now,” and “Help find Itay.”
“Biden needs to step up for all children — all citizens deserve protection, and kids need to know that the United States is behind them 100%,” Ruby Chen told USA Today outside the embassy.
“What about liberty, justice, and freedom for all?” he added.
Mr Chen told CNN he believes US authorities could be “more active” in helping to find his son, who could be a prisoner of war (PoW).
“If he is indeed missing in action and might even be a prisoner of war, I think that the US at a minimum needs to demand that any PoW needs to be treated according to international law, which states that you need to take care of the prisoner, you need to identify him, you need to allow the red cross or the U.N. to visit and see what is the status of that prisoner,” he said.
“We unfortunately do not get that treatment at the moment. President Biden and the Secretary of State, we have great respect for them. They are saying all the correct things that we expect them to say.
Itay Chen, 19, is missing in Gaza— (CNN)
“But again, we believe that they could be more active in the actions to be taken to identify and find these US citizens that are missing in action.”
Mr Chen said his last contact with his son was on Saturday when the pair had a “a very short call” in which Itay said his base was “under attack”.
The soldier was seen two hours after that call, but not since then, his father said.
“No one has seen him in the hospital…and no one has seen him in a morgue deceased,” Mr Chen told CNN.
“So the only thing that the IDF has to say is we don’t know where he is.”
The desperate father said despite his son’s missing status, his family are “still hopeful” that they will be able to celebrate together as a family at his younger brother’s bar mitzvah this weekend.
The State Department has yet to confirm the identity of any Americans missing or killed in Israel since Hamas launched its brutal attack on Saturday morning.
At least 11 Americans are feared to be among the 900 people dead, with thousands more believed to be injured while the number of individuals taken hostage by Hamas is currently unclear.
It comes after Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel early on Saturday morning, killing hundreds of people and taking dozens captive across the Gaza border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately declared a state of war and promised “mighty vengeance” on Israel’s attackers.
On Monday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the “complete siege” of Gaza, saying authorities would cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel.
Israel has said it is attacking “many targets” in Gaza as part of a “widespread” attempt to strike Hamas strongholds.
Palestinian authorities said at least 687 people have died in Gaza in retaliatory strikes by Israeli forces.
