The family of a 21-year-old New Yorker believed to have been taken hostage on October 7 has received the heartbreaking news that he passed away over a year ago.
Omer Maxim Neutra, a dual US-Israeli citizen, is believed to be among the hostages still in Hamas captivity.
His parents have been campaigning for his release for more than a year.
But today the IDF announced that the young man had been killed on October 7. His body was then taken away by the terrorists.
Neutra, originally from New York, was serving in the Israeli army when he was killed on October 7 while defending towns around Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara released a statement honoring Neutra’s sacrifice, declaring that they “will neither rest nor be silent” until his body is recovered in the Gaza Strip.
“Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every sense of the word,” Netanyahu said. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”
Netanyahu praised Neutra, saying he “fought fiercely at the head of his soldiers to defend the settlements around Gaza until he fell.”
Omer Maxim Neutra, a dual US-Israeli citizen, is believed to be among the hostages still in Hamas captivity
His parents have been campaigning for his release for more than a year. But today the IDF announced that the young man had been killed on October 7. His body was then taken away by the terrorists
He said Israel “will not rest or remain silent until we return him home for a Jewish funeral, and we will continue to act decisively and tirelessly until we return all our hostages.”
The soldier’s parents, Ronen and Orna, have actively campaigned for the release of hostages and have made public appearances at the White House and the Capitol to draw attention to the innocent people brutally kidnapped by Hamas.
The American-Israeli soldier from New York was a tank platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade and was among hundreds of security personnel slaughtered in the devastating terrorist attack.
Currently, Hamas is still holding about 100 hostages, including three American citizens who are believed to be alive after more than 400 days of captivity.
A native of Plainview, Long Island, Omer graduated from Solomon Schechter, a yeshiva in Williston Park, where he was an honors student.
An avid sportsman, he was captain of his basketball, soccer and volleyball teams and very active in several Jewish community organizations, including serving as regional president of the Metropolitan New York Region of United Synagogue Youth.
The soldier’s parents, Ronen and Orna, have actively campaigned for the release of hostages and have made public appearances at the White House and the Capitol to draw attention to the innocent people brutally kidnapped by Hamas.
Orna and Ronen Neutra (photo) speak with Anderson Cooper on Thursday evening
His parents, who both have dual American-Israeli citizenship, said their son wanted to go to Israel to serve the country and connect with their family’s roots.
“The experience influenced his decision to stay in Israel and do what he believed in: serving and protecting the people of Israel.”
Omer took a gap year off from college and deferred his admission to Binghamton University so he could join the Israeli army and follow in his parents’ footsteps.
As a lone soldier, he started as an officer in the IDF and worked his way up to become a tank commander.
Omer’s father said they spoke on Friday before the attack. He said his son sounded good, but a little tired. He said he had been very busy the past two weeks with the Jewish holidays.
“He was looking forward to a quiet, peaceful weekend — Shabbat and the Simchat Torah holiday — and just relaxing with his friends,” Ronen said.
Around midnight, they saw on a news app that something was happening in the southern part of Israel and said they called him immediately but couldn’t get through.
They waited and prayed as they watched the horror unfold.
Omer at a sporting event with his parents and younger brother
Ronen said one of Omer’s friends showed him a video two days after the attack.
He recalled: “It was quite shocking,” he said. ‘I asked a good friend to come and watch. I knew it was something I wasn’t ready to watch. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw Omer in the footage.’
He later learned more details about his son’s whereabouts from a close friend as they tried to piece together the timeline of the ambush.
Orna said, “Omer was in a tank, so we know he was taken out of the tank.”
His father added: ‘We saw him walking in the video. He was doing well… he was standing… and we expect to get him back the same way.”
‘They were ready to defend the border, but unfortunately they seem to have been taken by surprise.