Remembering US victims killed and missing in the Israeli-Hamas war
Dozens of Americans have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas and others remain missing amid the ongoing violence, according to the U.S. State Department.
Saturday marked one week since the Hamas terrorist group launched a vicious attack on the Jewish state on Oct. 7, kick-starting a war that has left more than 4,000 dead, including at least 1,400 Israeli soldiers and civilians.
According to a State Department spokesperson, at least 30 U.S. citizens are known to have died in Israel and another 13 remained missing as of Monday morning. The missing Americans are among at least 199 others, including men, women, children and the elderly, who were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to the Israeli government.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected. At this time, we are also aware of 13 American nationals who are unaccounted-for," the State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "State Department personnel have been in contact with their families. The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts."
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"Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have nothing further to share," the statement added.
U.S. officials have not shared the identities of the 30 Americans killed in Israel, but several family members have confirmed the deaths, including family members from Chicago, a nurse and her parents from California, and a college student from New York.
At least 30 Americans have been killed in Israel, including a student who recently received a doctorate and a 20-year-old who enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Ilan Troen, a professor who lives in Israel, said during a televised interview last week that his daughter, Deborah Martias, and her husband, who was not identified, were both killed when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and attacked the communities surrounding the Gaza border.
Troen said he was on the phone with his daughter, who was born in Boone County, Missouri, when the terrorists made their way to Kibbutz Holit, where his daughter and son-in-law were living. He said he heard the terrorists breaking into the home and heard gunshots.
The professor said their 16-year-old son was shot but survived the attack after hiding for several hours.
Kibbutz Holit is located about a mile from the Gaza border.
American student Hayim Katsman has been identified as another victim of the Hamas violence after terrorists entered his home on Kibbutz Holit and shot him dead in a closet, where he was hiding, according to his family.
Noy Katsman, a sibling of Dr. Hayim Katsman, told Fox News that he heard about the Hamas insurgency and texted his brother asking if he was OK. Hayim responded on Saturday morning, saying that he heard terrorists invading the kibbutz but he was all right. Hours later, the family learned that he was shot and killed.
Katsman was living in Israel after he received his doctorate at the University of Washington in Seattle.
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Eyal Glisko, a North Jersey native, confirmed his cousin, 20-year-old Itay Glisko, an Israeli American serving in the IDF, was killed while fighting in Israel, according to the Daily Beast.
Itay, who lived in Paramus, was an "amazing kid" who was "loved by everybody" and who "fought with courage to the end," another relative, Glisko Kaufman, told the outlet.
"He was doing his duty, that’s it," Eyal added.
The 20-year-old was born in New Jersey before his family moved to Israel. Once he turned 18, he joined the IDF for mandatory service. He was two years into the three-year requirement.
Ran Ben-Senior said her cousin, Daniel Ben-Senior, 34, was shot and killed as she was attending the music festival, where Hamas terrorists killed at least 260 civilians, according to the New York Times.
According to Ran, her cousin was initially believed to be among the missing but Israeli officials notified the family that she had been killed.
There are at least 14 missing Americans, including some who are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas, the terror group that governs Gaza.
Rabbi Meir Hecht said two members of the Raanan family, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, 18, are missing after they traveled to Nahal Oz to visit relatives for Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday.
Omer Neutra, an Israeli American citizen born in New York, was captured by Hamas along the Israel-Gaza border on Oct. 10 while serving in the IDF, his family said.
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The 21-year-old college student joined the IDF after war broke out between Israel and Gaza last weekend, according to a statement from his family.
"He's a born leader and a great son, friend, and a passionate, giving person. After graduating high school, he decided to defer his college acceptance and spend a gap year in Israel connecting with our family's roots," Neutra's parents Ronen and Orna Neutra said in a statement posted to Facebook by the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department.
"This experience impacted his decision to stay in Israel and do what he believed in – serving and protecting the people of Israel," the statement added.
His family said they have not heard from him since he joined the war.
On Oct. 11, New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with Neutra's parents.
"The war hits home. Ronen and Orna of Long Island are waiting news on their son Omer, who was kidnapped by Hamas this weekend," the mayor said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This fight is our fight. It just is. We #StandWithIsrael. And we must bring every hostage home."
Four Israeli American families held a news conference last week, where they revealed a family member who was being held hostage in the Israel-Hamas war.
Ruby Chen, the father of missing American, 19-year-old Itay Chen, has demanded the White House do more to find his son, who was serving in the IDF when he went missing last week.
Ruby Chen told Fox News his son informed him that he was responding to the Hamas rocket attack and was "active in the field" but then "contact was lost."
He said the IDF confirmed their son was missing, but said he has not been confirmed dead. He was last seen Saturday morning, Oct. 7.
The father said he was glad to hear President Biden’s commitment to supporting Israel, but called on the president and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "think of the missing Americans as citizens" and be supported as such.
He also said he wants the U.S. leadership "to do what they can to make this end and for us, as soon as possible, to become family, whole again."
Jonathan Dekel-Chen said at the press conference last week that Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, a married father of two daughters, helped fight off the militants who stormed Kibbutz Nir Oz on Saturday, but has not been heard from since.
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Jonathan Dekel-Chen, a U.S. citizen who grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Israel since the early 1980s, told Fox News Digital that about 240 of the community’s 400 residents are dead or missing.
"Sagui was born in Israel," Dekel-Chen said. "We both live on Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border and our kibbutz was attacked at 6 a.m. on Saturday. As a result of that attack, several dozen members of our community were taken or are now missing; among those is Sagui."
"They vanished without a trace," he said, adding that the missing American’s wife, who is pregnant, and his son’s two young children survived the attack.
He also urged U.S. officials to do more to find and rescue his son.
"Sagui was born in Israel and has lived his life here but has always maintained his U.S. citizenship," said Dekel-Chen. "I hope that it will make a difference and I think it will definitely help if the U.S. government gets engaged."
At the same press conference in Tel Aviv last week, Rachel Goldberg told reporters that she has not heard from her son, Hersh Golberg-Polin, 23, since he attended the Tribe of Nova music festival in Israel on Saturday, Oct 7.
She said as Hamas terrorists attacked the desert rave, her son sent her a text message that read: "I love you." Moments later, the missing Israeli American said: "I’m sorry."
She has not heard from him since.
"I knew immediately, wherever he was, it was a terrible situation," Goldberg said. "I took it to mean I love you and I'm sorry because whatever is going to happen is going to cause you tremendous pain and worry."
She added: "Since that time, I, of course, tried calling him right back. There was no answer. I texted him a couple of times. Are you OK? I've not heard from him since the text I received at 8:11 on Saturday morning."
The mother went on to say she spoke with witnesses and survivors of the attack, where at least 260 civilians were killed. Several recalled seeing Hersh.
They said her son took cover in a bomb shelter and ended up losing his arm after Hamas terrorists fired into the shelter. They then forced everyone to evacuate.
"We are told that he was completely calm. I think he was probably in shock," Goldberg said. "And he got up and he walked out with five other people, young people from the music festival, two young women, three other young men. They were put on a pickup truck and driven away by Hamas. Then the police told us one thing they knew is that the last known cell signal from his phone was on the border with Gaza."
Jon Polin, his father, described the 23-year-old as a "smiley, fun-loving guy." Hersh was born in Berkeley, the family said.
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Nahar Neta said his mother, Adrienne Neta, 66, is missing after Hamas fighters infiltrated the kibbutz where she was living.
"My mother Adrienne Neta, who was born and raised in California and moved to Israel in the early 1980s, was kidnapped on Saturday morning," her son, Nahar Neta told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "We do not have any confirmed information, it is total chaos, but we think she was taken from her home on Kibbutz Be’eri."
Adrienne Neta moved to Israel in 1981. She had a long career as a nurse and midwife, her family said.
After hearing the news of the terror attacks, Nahar Neta left California, where he lives, and traveled to Israel to help search for his mother. His family has said they are almost certain that she is not among those killed on the kibbutz.
"We don’t believe she is among the dead, but everything is a blur and no one has any concrete information," the son clarified. "The optimistic scenario is that she is held hostage and not dead on the street."
He said his siblings were on the phone with Adrienne Neta when the terrorists entered the house. They "heard her screaming" but have not heard from her since.
Abbey Onn, an American whose family has been living in Israel for eight years, said her 80-year-old cousin, Carmela Dan, was taken alongside her son-in-law and three of her grandchildren who were living with her at the time. They were later identified as Ofer Kalderon, 50, Sahar Kalderon, 16, Erez Kalderon, 16, and Noya Dan, 12.
"As an American that is here [in Israel]… I feel proud to be an American and Israeli. I want people to understand this isn’t political. These are humans," Onn told "Fox & Friends First" host Carley Shimkus. "These are people’s grandparents and children, and husbands and wives."
"I feel heartbroken," Onn continued. "I have a child the same age in the other room. It is any parent’s worst nightmare. It is inconceivable that this is happening in this day, in this time in Israel."
Nadav Kipnis told The Associated Press that the missing Americans include Eviatar Moshe Kipnis, 65, and Lilach Lea Havron, 60, and their health care aide, who were last heard from Saturday morning.
Both elders, who have Italian and U.S. citizenships, were sheltering in their safe room when militants stormed their village, the son said.
Nadav Kipnis said in addition to his parents and the aide, eight members of Havron’s family are also missing, including three children.
The family believes all 11 were taken hostage as their bodies have not been recovered. Also, some of their cellphones have pinged locations in Gaza.
The family said their father, who uses a wheelchair, takes several medications daily and needs regular hospital care for a severe autoimmune condition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.