The United Nations Security Council has, for the first time since 7 October, held a meeting focused on the return of bodies held by Hamas in Gaza.
It comes following calls from Israel and bereaved hostage families to enforce international law and implement Resolution 2474.
The resolution, adopted in 2019, obliges both state and non-state actors to account for missing persons during armed conflict and return their remains.
Addressing the Council in New York on Thursday, Ruby Chen – whose son, Sgt. Itay Chen, was taken hostage and killed during the 7 October Hamas massacre – said Hamas was engaging in “the lowest form of terrorist psychological warfare imaginable”.
“In March 2024, my family was notified by the IDF that Itay most likely did not survive the 7 October attack. But for over 19 months, Hamas has not been willing to acknowledge that my son is in their possession or what his physical status is,” he said.
“What my family have been subjected to – the deliberate withholding of information about our son’s fate, the refusal to return him to us, the silence – has been a form of slow, enduring psychological torture.”
Chen called on the Council to act on its own commitments, warning: “Resolution 2474 must not remain symbolic – it must become enforceable. We want Itay back, and his physical status, whatever it might be, does not make him any less of a hostage.”
He also urged the UN to sanction Hamas and its backers for violating international law by denying access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and withholding information.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, accused Hamas of “turning the kidnapping of bodies into an industry,” and insisted that “the silence of the international community must end.”
“You cannot advocate for human rights while accepting the holding of bodies by a terrorist organisation,” Danon told the Council. “We are asking for something simple, moral, and human: bring them all home.”
Also present in New York was Leah Goldin, mother of Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose remains have been held by Hamas since 2014. She and Ruby Chen were expected to meet senior officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, to discuss next steps.
The Security Council has yet to indicate whether it will take further action.
