3 weeks ago
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Omer Maxim Neutra (Picture credit: The Times of Israel)
The
Israeli military
confirmed Monday that captain
Omer Maxim Neutra
, 21, was killed during the October 7, 2023,
Hamas attack
. His body is being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
The military's rabbinate declared Neutra's death based on new intelligence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences to Neutra's family and promised to return his body to Israel.
“Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every sense of the word,” said Netanyahu. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the
IDF
, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”
Netanyahu added, “Israel will not rest or be silent until we return him home for a Jewish burial, and we will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages.”
The confirmation comes 14 months after the Hamas attack.
Who was Neutra?
Neutra, a "lone soldier" from New York—so called because his parents were not in Israel—served as a
tank platoon commander
in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade. In his tank crew,
Sgt Shaked Dahan
was the driver, Sgt Nimrod Cohen was the gunner, and Sgt Oz Daniel was the loader, according to Times of Israel.
It was previously believed that Neutra was alive and being held hostage.
Basketball team captain to Israeli army
Growing up in Long Island, New York, Neutra was a Knicks fan and served as captain of his high school basketball team, as well as the volleyball and soccer teams when needed. “That’s just the kind of person he is,” said his father, Ronen Neutra.
Neutra decided to join the Israeli army after spending a gap year in Israel in 2020, postponing his plans to attend Binghamton University.
The Neutras last spoke to their son on October 6, one day before the massacre. When news of the events on October 7 reached them, his father, Ronen, frantically tried to contact him.
Ronen and Orna Neutra reported to CBS News that their son was taken captive by Hamas during the recent attacks in Israel. Their son, whose name was not provided in the report, was in Israel and had plans to return to Long Island for college. He was interested in peace-building, according to Ronen Neutra. “They said that he’s been taken captive,” said Orna Neutra. “So many have died that it’s just insane that you feel relief to think that your son is not dead, you know?”
How was Neutra killed?
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Neutra was stationed in a tank near the Gaza border by the southern community of Nahal Oz. During Hamas's assault on southern Israel, their tank came under attack with RPG fire and explosives. All four crew members were abducted to Gaza.
Widely circulated footage from the attack showed individuals in civilian clothing standing on and around the smoking, flaming tank as Hamas terrorists dragged the soldiers out.
Dahan’s death was confirmed in November 2023, and Daniel’s in February 2024. Now, after 14 months, Neutra’s death has also been confirmed. According to the IDF, all three were killed on October 7, 2023.
Of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, it is believed 97 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead, per the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, following the earlier release of four hostages. Eight hostages have been rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 37 hostages have been recovered, including three accidentally killed during escape attempts.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014 and two Israeli civilians, believed to be alive, who entered Gaza independently in 2014 and 2015.
