Who is Sagui Dekel-Chen, American kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Israel?

Sagui Dekel-Chen was kidnapped bu Hamas terrorists in Israel. Following the deadly Hamas assault claiming over 1,000 lives in Israel, including 27 U.S. citizens, families on both sides of the Atlantic remained in anguish as 14 Americans were still missing, some potentially held hostage by Hamas.

Among the victims were a mother and daughter visiting from Chicago, a young festival-goer, and a California nurse. President Biden assured efforts to locate and rescue the missing individuals, offering reassurances to affected families. However, the identities of the missing Americans were not disclosed officially, leaving relatives grappling with uncertainty about their loved ones’ fates in the wake of the tragic incident.

Who is Sagui Dekel-Chen?

Sagui Dekel-Chen, at the age of 35, spent his formative years on an Israeli kibbutz but maintained strong connections with his father’s relatives in Connecticut, fostering an ardent devotion to the Boston Red Sox.

When the kibbutz near the Gaza border fell under siege by numerous armed assailants early last Saturday, Sagui swiftly guided his pregnant wife, Avital, and their two young daughters to safety in a nearby bomb shelter. In a remarkable display of resilience, he reinforced the shelter’s armored entrance to ensure the safety of his family, as recounted by his father, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, aged 60, a native of Connecticut who relocated to the kibbutz during his youth.

According to Jonathan, his son was among the first to alert fellow residents of the impending attack, taking a stand to defend their community throughout the harrowing ordeal. Despite the eventual successful repulsion of the attackers by the Israeli military, Sagui and several other courageous villagers who actively resisted the invasion mysteriously disappeared.

Subsequent tracking efforts revealed that some of their mobile phones had been traced to locations within Gaza. However, the specific whereabouts of Sagui and his fellow defenders remain shrouded in uncertainty, leaving their families and the community in a state of anxious apprehension.