A few days after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, we received the dreaded knock on the door by Israeli army officials. Our 19-year-old son, Itay Chen, was protecting southern Israel with the Israel Defense Forces, and we had not heard from him since the attacks broke out.
Our hearts sank and our minds went to the worst-case scenario. After collecting my breath, I opened the door and was told there was, in fact, “good” news – Itay had been abducted by Hamas terrorists.
Although far from being good news, it could have been worse; my son was alive. My wife and I were now members of a dreadful new club: the families of the 241 hostages who were being held by Hamas.
We've now passed the mark of what was once unthinkable: 100 days since my son and the other 135 remaining hostages were captured by Hamas. One hundred days of hell. One hundred days of not knowing.
Every day has been a living nightmare. I wake up not knowing where my son slept last night, whether he was given any food or water, whether he’s been injured. We don’t even know if he is alive.
Itay, a fun-loving kid who loves playing basketball with his brothers, is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. I was born........