Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra is dead. The Israeli military reported Monday morning that the 21-year-old tank platoon commander died nearly 14 months ago, stating that “we can confirm, based on intelligence, that he was killed in battle on Oct. 7 [2023] and his body has been held hostage in Gaza since.”
“May his memory be a blessing,” the Israel Defense Forces added of Neutra.
The terrorist organization Hamas, which killed 1,200 in the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, rules the adjacent Gaza Strip where Hamas took Neutra’s body.
President-elect Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social following the news of Neutra’s death.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action,” Trump wrote.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to Jan. 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Trump added. “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
Neutra was born in New York City in 2001. After high school, he took a gap year and participated in a leadership program in Israel.
After a year there, Neutra decided to join the Israel Defense Forces and became a tank platoon commander. On Oct. 7, he was serving close to Israel’s border with Gaza. Neutra’s tank was found empty shortly after the terrorist attacks and he was believed to have been taken hostage.
Aviva Klompas, CEO of the pro-Israel educational organization Boundless, wrote on X that the IDF determined Neutra’s death occurred the day of the terrorist attacks “based on findings and new intelligence information.”
For over a year, Neutra’s parents have traveled the U.S. and the world pressing for their son’s release.
“Imagine, over nine months [of] not knowing whether your son is alive. Waking up every morning, praying that he too is still waking up every morning,” mother Orna Neutra said in July from the stage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“Bring them home,” her husband, Ronen, chanted with the crowd.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reacting to the news Monday, praised Neutra’s service to his country and wrote in a translated post on X: “Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every inch of his limbs. He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead. This is what he did at the outbreak of the war on October 2023, when he fought fiercely at the head of his soldiers to defend the settlements surrounding Gaza, until he fell.”
Netanyahu pledged to “not rest or be quiet until we return [Neutra] home to the grave of Israel, and we will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages.”
Three other Americans taken hostage by Hamas—Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Keith Siegel—are believed to be alive in Gaza.
Terrorists released a hostage video of Alexander on Saturday, which the White House called “a cruel reminder of Hamas’ terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own.”
The video was captioned “Time is running out.” It was shared on the Telegram channel of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, NBC News reported.
Alexander, weeping in the propaganda video, tells Netanyahu, “You have neglected us.” Speaking to Trump, Alexander asks him to use his authority “to negotiate for our freedom.”
Adi Alexander, the hostage’s father, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that seeing his son in the video was “very emotional and disturbing, but we were happy to see him after a year that we didn’t see our son.”
At least 60 living hostages are believed to be held in Gaza; the bodies of another 35 or so also are believed to be there.
This report was modified within an hour of publication to include Trump’s comments on Hamas’ hostages.
