Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra who was kidnapped by Hamas to Gaza on October 7, spoke on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in order to raise awareness to the plight of the hostages.

Neutra, who grew up in Long Island, New York, was kidnapped while serving as a tank commander near Gaza.

“Our son Omer is an American citizen. For 285 long days and nights, Hamas terrorists have been holding Omer in prison in tunnels underneath Gaza,” said Orna Neutra.

“Omer, which is a biblical name and means in Hebrew ‘the first crop’, is our firstborn. He was born in New York City. One month after 9/11, eight months pregnant, I walked across the Queensboro Bridge towards home that day. And here we are, 23 years later, and he's the victim of another vile terrorist attack,” she added.

She described Omer as “a connector. He's an extremely social person. He loves sports. In high school, he was captain of the soccer ball, volleyball and basketball teams. He's a natural leader. And he cares deeply about others and about helping them grow.”

“He turned 22 on October 14th, 2023. And instead of celebrating with us and with his friends, he spent his birthday as a hostage of Hamas terrorists,” said Orna Neutra.

“Imagine over nine months, not knowing whether your son is alive. Waking up every morning, praying that he too is still waking up every morning. That he is strong and is surviving,” she continued.

The crowd chanted “bring them home!” and some of them were seen holding up signs saying “We are Jews for Trump” and Trump’s name in Hebrew.

Ronen Neutra said, “During the brutal October 7th attack on Israel, over 1,200 people were slaughtered. Of them, 45 were American citizens. Where is the outrage? Where is it? This was not merely an attack on Israel. This was and remains an attack on Americans. Omer is one of eight American hostages and one of 120 hostages still left in Gaza. Citizens of 24 countries and five different religions still held by Hamas, denied basic human needs, their lives threatened every day.”

“President Trump called us personally right after the attack, when Omer was taken captive. We know he stands with our American hostages. We need our beautiful son back. And we need your support,” he added. “We need support to end this crisis and bring all the hostages back home.”

Orna added, “Omer, we love you. We won't stop fighting for you.”