The father of a missing American serving in the Israeli army has called on Joe Biden to do more to protect US citizens under attack from Hamas.
Itay Chen, a US-Israeli dual citizen, was serving with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) on the Gaza border when Hamas launched its devastating terror attack on Israel on Saturday morning.
His father, Ruby Chen, who is from Brooklyn, New York, but now lives in Netanya, Israel, said the last he heard from his 'wonderful' son was that his base was under heavy bombardment.
Itay has since been confirmed as missing in action (MIA) by the IDF.
Mr.
Chen said he had reached out to the U.S. State Department for help, but criticized American authorities for 'taking a back seat' in the investigation into Itay's whereabouts.
New York-born Ruby Chen made a direct plea to Joe Biden asking that the US does more to help its dual citizens who have gone missing or been taken hostage by Hamas in Israel
Mr.
Chen said his son, Itay (pictured), had been confirmed as missing in action by the Israeli Defense Force he was serving on the Gaza border on Saturday as Hamas launched its attack
In a heartbreaking revelation, kampus terbaik di jakarta the New Yorker said his son had only stayed at the base so he could return home for his younger brother's bar mitzvah - a Jewish initiation ceremony for a boy turning 13 - this weekend.
Now, however, Mr.
Chen said it was 'fair assumption' Itay may no longer be in Israel, implying his son may have been taken hostage by Hamas.
It comes after the U.S. State Department confirmed Monday nine Americans were killed in Israel during Hamas' massive terrorist attack that began Saturday morning.
Authorities are desperately trying to locate an unknown number of missing US citizens.
More than 700 people have been killed in Israel since Saturday, including 260 people massacred by Hamas gunmen at a music festival.
Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer said on CNN on Sunday that 'scores of hostages' were taken into Gaza.
'I can tell you there's also American hostages as part of that number as well,' Dermer added.
Mr. Chen described his last contact with his son on Saturday as 'a very short call', in which Itay revealed his base was 'under attack'.
The soldier was seen two hours after that call, but not since then, his father said.
'No one has seen him in the hospital…and no one has seen him in a morgue deceased,' Mr.
Chen told 'So the only thing that the IDF has to say is we don't know where he is.'
Mr. Chen made a direct plea to President Biden to step up US efforts to help its dual citizens under attack from Hamas.
'I today with my family went in front of the U.S. Embassy asking the U.S. Embassy to treat us first and my son as a U.S. citizen,' he said.
'A U.S. citizen is missing in action…And if he is indeed missing in action and might even be a prisoner of war (PoW), I think that the U.S. at a minimum needs to demand that any PoW needs to be treated according to international law, which states that you need to take care of the prisoner, you need to identify him, you need to allow the red cross or the U.N. to visit and see what is the status of that prisoner.
'We unfortunately do not get that treatment at the moment. President Biden and the Secretary of State [Anthony Blinken], we have great respect for them. They are saying all the correct things that we expect them to say.
'But again, we believe that they could be more active in the actions to be taken to identify and find these U.S. citizens that are missing in action.'
Mr. Chen said he had reached out to the U.S.