Itay Chen was born in 2004 and served in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 75th Battalion. On Oct 7th, Itay was stationed at the Nahal Oz base on the Gaza border. He and his teammates fought courageously a number of hours killing dozens of Hamas terrorists, preventing them from attacking and killing more civilians on that black Saturday. Following the battle, Itay was considered a hostage, with 240 other Israelis, kidnapped and taken to Gaza as a negotiation chip. After 5 long months, the IDF declared that Chen was killed on October 7, based on findings and new intelligence information. Today, Itay’s body is being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas. The Chen family decided not to sit Shivah until Itay's body is returned and he has a hero’s burial site.
Itay’s father, Ruby Chen, described his son as the connector of the family and involved in many community activities such as SHELACH (Israeli Boy Scouts) mentoring younger children to love Israel and respect one another, as well as being a professional basketball player till the age of 18. Itay’s parents and two brothers deeply miss him.
** The information on this page is part of the 'Yizkor' commemoration project by the Ministry of Defense / the 'La'ad' website by the National Insurance Institute, in memory of the fallen. We strive for accuracy and apologize for any errors. For corrections or comments, please contact us here: https://aaciremembers.org/contact-us/ **
