Thousands gathered Sunday morning at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv to lay to rest Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, whose body was returned to Israel last week after 760 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
The funeral procession began at the Chen family home in Netanya, where mourners joined his parents, Ruby and Hagit Chen, carrying Israeli flags.
At the start of the ceremony, the family played radio recordings from the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault, taken from Chen’s tank. In one recording, a soldier was heard saying, “We need to make sure there’s no abduction from Nahal Oz into Gaza — that’s our mission.”
Additional audio clips from the tank were later released in full, including one voice shouting, “Run him over — they’ll try to take hostages.”
Chen’s father and brothers, Roi and Alon, recited the Kaddish prayer while wearing shirts with his photo and the words “Our Lion King forever.” President Isaac Herzog attended the funeral and delivered a eulogy.
Also among those in attendance were Chen’s tankmate and fellow hostage survivor, Matan Angrest, who came with his family, along with former IDF chiefs of staff Herzi Halevi and Gadi Eizenkot, National Unity party leaders Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot, opposition leader Yair Lapid, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav “Poli” Mordechai.
Chen, a 19-year-old tank commander from Netanya, was killed in battle near Nahal Oz while fighting with his crew from the 77th Battalion of the Armored Corps. He and his fellow soldiers were initially listed as missing in action for 158 days before it was confirmed that they had been taken hostage into Gaza.
Also captured were Angrest, who later returned to Israel alive, and Sgt. Daniel Peretz, who was killed and whose body was eventually recovered. The fourth crew member, Tomer Leibowitz, was killed in battle.
According to the IDF, the four fought fiercely against hundreds of Hamas gunmen who infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, attempting to prevent them from reaching the Nahal Oz base and nearby communities. A total of 215 assailants stormed the outpost, killing more than 50 soldiers and abducting 10 others.
Chen held American citizenship through his father and German citizenship through his mother. He was the middle of three brothers — younger than Roi and older than Alon.
Following the return of Chen’s body to Israel last week, Angrest posted a tribute on Instagram with a broken-heart emoji, writing, “I never stopped thinking about you. You’re finally home, brother.”
Last month, Angrest also spoke at the funeral of his team commander, Daniel Peretz, days after his release as part of a hostage deal. “I can barely stand, but this is the least I can do for Daniel and my team — true heroes,” he said. “I never thought I’d make it here, but I had to come.” He added that he would “go back into Gaza” if that’s what it took to bring Chen home.