LONDON — American-Israeli soldier Omer Maxim Neutra was among those killed on October 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists poured south. Israelauthorities said on Monday.
Neutra, 21, was believed to have been kidnapped and taken to Gaza alive, but the Israel Defense Forces on Monday he said he was one of around 1,200 killed in the surprise attack.
The soldier, from New York, was a tank platoon commander of the 77th Battalion of Israel’s 7th Armored Brigade.
“Omer was a man of great worth, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every aspect of his being,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement released alongside his wife. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a path of combat and was chosen to command and lead.”
This undated photo provided by the headquarters of the Hostage Families Forum shows Omer Neutra.
AP
Netanyahu said Neutra, who was a captain, “fought hard” until the Israeli forces “defended the settlements around Gaza until he fell.”
In a statement, the Neutra family said they are “deeply saddened”.
“Our hearts are broken by this devastating news. The Neutra family is deeply saddened and asks the public, who have shown so much support throughout this journey, to please respect their privacy until we are ready to announce our next steps,” the statement said. read
Israel said it had confirmed through intelligence that Neutra was killed in the attack and that his body was still being held in Gaza.
Before joining the military, Neutra did a preparatory year with the Tzabar Garin program, where he “loved sports, playing soccer, basketball and volleyball, and served as the captain of his school’s sports teams,” according to kidnapped and disappeared. Family Forum.
“Family and friends described him as a warm, optimistic and caring individual who ‘lights up a room the moment he walks in,'” the forum said. a statement It was posted on social media on Monday.
Neutra’s parents, Orna and Ronen, spoke at the Republican National Convention in July. They told the people of their grief, not knowing for more than nine months, “if your son is alive.”
Orna Neutra (left) and Ronen Neutra (second left), parents of Omer Neutra, make a statement with other American families held hostage by Hamas in front of the West Wing after a meeting with administration officials at the White House in Washington, Nov. 12, 2024.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
“We need our beautiful son back,” said Ronen Neutra. “And we need your help, your help to end this crisis and bring all the hostages home.”
Netanyahu said Monday that he and his wife shared the family’s “heavy” grief.
“We will not rest or be silent until we return home to the grave of Israel,” he said, “and we will continue to act steadfastly and tirelessly until we return all our captives, living and dead.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi, the Democrat who represents Neutra’s New York congressional district, wrote on social media Monday that he was sending his condolences to Neutra’s family.
“I have prayed for Omer and his family, and ask that you all hold the Neutra family close to join me in seeking peace and meaning in this tragedy,” Suozzi wrote.
Three Americans are believed to be still alive among the dozens held hostage by Hamas.
“We must fulfill the last imperative: Omer and all our kidnapped men and women – the living to their families, and to bury the fallen and the murdered,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog. a statement Announcing the death of Neutra.
ABC News’ Dave Brennan, Joe Simonetti, Jordana Miller and Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
