Steinmeier mourns last German-Israeli hostage after remains returned
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has offered his condolences to the family of Itay Chen, the last hostage with German citizenship whose remains have been returned to Israel.
“After agonizing months and years of waiting, the family now has sad certainty,” Steinmeier said in Luanda, Angola, where he is on an official visit.
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and hope that they find comfort and support during this time of pain and grief.”
On Tuesday evening, the Palestinian militant group Hamas handed over Chen, an Israeli soldier who also held German and US citizenship. The remains were definitively identified on Wednesday.
According to the Israeli military, Chen was killed at the age of 19 during the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken to the Gaza Strip.
“I hope and wish that the return of the living hostages, but also the handover of the bodies of the murdered hostages, is a beginning on a long road to peace in the Middle East,” Steinmeier said.
