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“Follow the money”: Father of Hamas hostage Itay Chen calls to halt Hamas funding
Ruby Chen, the father of 19-year-old U.S.-Israeli hostage Itay Chen, made the remarks at Calcalist’s Mind The Tech conference in New York.
Ruby Chen, the father of 19-year-old U.S.-Israeli hostage Itay Chen
(Photo: Tomariko - Live Focus)
“Follow the money,” stated Ruby Chen, father of 19-year-old U.S.-Israeli soldier Itay Chen—who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. Noting that Hamas is part of a global terrorist financing network and continues to process payroll for tens of thousands of supporters, he added: “We need to suck out that oxygen to be able to say to Hamas, ‘enough, you are not legitimate’.”
Chen, speaking at Mind the Tech in New York, also questioned why foreign governments appear to be more active in negotiations than Israel itself. He argued that military pressure alone would not secure the hostages' release.
Calling on policymakers and the public, Chen urged citizens to contact their representatives daily, demanding action. “I’ll keep asking until we see the last hostage come home,” he said.
Chen described the past 536 days as his “private nightmare” and criticized the lack of progress in hostage negotiations. “Sympathy is not enough. It’s about action,” he said, emphasizing his personal efforts to meet negotiators in Doha, Washington DC, Munich, and Israel to ensure the voices of hostage families are heard.
You can watch the entire exchange in the video above.
