A Long Island family is mourning the loss of Omer Neutra following the deadly Hamas attack on the Nova Music Festival in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Originally from Plainview, Neutra was an Israeli and U.S. citizen serving in the IDF. His body is reportedly being held in Gaza. Neutra had been kidnapped during the attacks last year, and it was previously thought he was alive and held hostage. However, the IDF now reports he was killed during a battle with terrorists near the Gaza border, with his body taken afterward.
Neutra's parents have been outspoken advocates for the release of hostages in Gaza, including their son. Most recently, they participated in a rally in Central Park on Sunday. While they expressed relief over the ceasefire in Lebanon, they voiced frustration that it did not include the release of hostages.
His father, Ronen Neutra, spoke to ABC7NY on Saturday, reflecting on spending another Thanksgiving without his son.
"We feel it's a missed opportunity but now after the election, the focus is back here in the United States and should continue to be the crisis in the Middle East and the hostages are the key to reducing the tension," Neutra said.
In its statement confirming Neutra's death, the military did not provide details on how it determined his fate. Neutra was one of seven American Israelis still held in Gaza, with four now reported dead. Over the weekend, Hamas released a video of one of the hostages, Edan Alexander, indicating he is still alive.
Earlier this year, Hamas killed Hersh Goldberg-Polin, another prominent Israeli-American hostage, along with five other captives, whose bodies have since been recovered by the Israeli military.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages. As of now, around 100 captives are still being held in Gaza, with roughly two-thirds believed to be alive.
