New York City native Ruby Chen pleads for help finding missing 19-year-old son, Israeli soldier
NEW YORK - A New York City native is pleading for his American-Israeli son to be found, after he went missing serving Israel's Army on Saturday.
"Please do not think of us only as a headline," said Ruby Chen.
Chen was one of several people in Tel Aviv at a press conference pleading at a news conference for help finding their loved ones missing in Israel.
"Itay, my son, joined the army about a year ago. He's in the Armed Corps. He was serving on the border of Gaza," said Chen.
Chen, who grew up in New York City and has family on Long Island and New Jersey, says he last heard from his 19-year-old son, Itay, Saturday morning before the war broke out.
"He lost contact with his other members of his unit, and we got notified by the IDF that he is defined as missing in action," he said.
Chen believes there's a possibility Itay, who is an American-Israeli citizen, has been abducted and is being held hostage inside of the Gaza Strip, taken by terrorists of Hamas.
Now, the Chen family, friends and others are pleading to the U.S. government, even rallying outside the U.S. Embassy in Israel on Monday, to help facilitate Itay's release.
"We are asking President Biden to take an active role, as much as possible, in this very unfortunate situation," said Chen.
Chen calls Itay determined, born with toughness and believes whatever he is going through now, he will overcome it.
"Hopefully part of that DNA of being a New Yorker rubbed off him, especially now with what he has to deal with. New Yorkers are tough," he said. "We believe he's toughing it out and taking care of himself as much as possible."
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