LONDON — Omer Maxim Neutra, an American-Israeli soldier, was among those killed on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists poured into southern Israel, officials said Monday.
Neutra, 21, was believed to have been taken alive to Gaza as a hostage, but the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday that he was instead one of the roughly 1,200 killed in the surprise attack.
The soldier, who was from New York, had been a tank platoon commander in Israel’s 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion.
“Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every aspect of his being,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement he released with his wife, Sara. “He immigrated to Israel to join the IDF, chose a path of struggle and was chosen to lead and lead.”
This undated photo provided by Hostages Families Forum headquarters shows Omer Neutra.
AP
Netanyahu said Neutra, who was a captain, had “fought fiercely” as he led Israeli forces “to defend the settlements around Gaza until he fell.”
In a statement, the Neutra family said it is “deeply saddened”.
“Our hearts are broken with this devastating news. The Neutra family is deeply saddened and asks the public, who have shown great support throughout this journey, to respect their privacy until they are ready to formally announce next steps,” the statement read.
Israel said it had confirmed through intelligence that Neutra had died in the attack and that his body was still being held in Gaza.
Prior to his military service, Neutra had completed a preparatory year with the Tzabar Garin program where he “loved sports, playing soccer, basketball and volleyball and serving as captain of his school’s sports team,” according to the Hostages and Missing Family Forum.
“Family and friends described him as a warm, optimistic and caring individual who ‘lights up the room the moment he walks in,'” the forum said in a statement posted on social media on Monday.
Neutra’s parents, Orna and Ronen, spoke at the Republican National Convention in July. They told the crowd of their grief, not having known for more than nine months that “your son is alive.”
Orna Neutra (left) and Ronen Neutra (second left), parents of Omer Neutra, make a statement with other families of Americans held hostage by Hamas in front of the West Wing after a meeting with administration officials at the White House in Washington , on 12 November 2024.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
“We need our beautiful son back,” said Ronen Neutra. “And we need your support — your support 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 bring him home to the grave of Israel,” he said, “and we will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all our prisoners—the living and the dead.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who represents Neutra’s New York congressional district, posted on social media Monday that he was sending his condolences to Neutra’s family.
“I have been praying for Omer and his family and I ask that you all join me in holding the Neutra family close as they seek to find peace and meaning in this tragedy,” Suozzi wrote.
Three Americans are believed to be still alive among the dozens of hostages still held by Hamas.
“We must fulfill the ultimate imperative: to return Omer and all our abducted men and women – the living to their families, and the fallen and murdered to be laid to rest,” Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said in a statement announcing Neutras death.
ABC News’ Dave Brennan, Joe Simonetti, Jordana Miller and Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
