Captain Omer Maxim Neutra, an IDF soldier who was kidnapped to Gaza on October 7, 2023, has been declared a fallen IDF soldier.
Neutra, 21, was born in New York in 2001, and immigrated to Israel, serving as a lone soldier. He chose to immigrate to Israel as a lone soldier, enlisting in the Armored Corps after completing a preparatory year with the Tzabar Garin program. Omar loved sports, playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and served as the captain of his school’s sports teams. Family and friends described him as a warm, optimistic, and caring individual who "lights up the room the moment he enters."
One of the most difficult photos from the October 7 massacre was that of IDF soldiers being pulled cruelly from their tank by Hamas "Nukhba" terrorists, after the tank was set aflame. Omer was the commander of that tank, and was taken to Gaza with his tank crew: Nimrod Cohen, Shaked Dahan and Oz Daniel.
His parents worked together with Biden administration officials to leverage international pressure and bring about a prisoner swap-ceasefire deal.
Neutra recently marked his birthday in captivity - his second birthday since the massacre. On Monday morning, his family was informed of his death on October 7.
The Hostages Families Forum "bows its head in mourning for the loss of American-Israeli hostage Omar Neutra, of blessed memory," the Forum said in a statement. "We stand in solidarity with the Neutra family and share in their profound grief."
Omer is survived by his parents, Ronen and Orna, and his brother, Daniel. His body is still being held captive by Hamas.
In a July demonstration of solidarity outside the US Capitol in Washington DC, Omer's parents spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, saying, "We know the deal is very close, we know it requires strong leadership. Bibi Netanyahu comes here as the Prime Minister of Israel to give a speech in front of a joint session of Congress. It's important that he talks on behalf of Israel, but it's also critical that he meets with President Biden and that he puts everything on the line to close the deal. We are so close. We have to bring them home now, this is probably the last opportunity to seal the deal."
Neutra related, "It's not easy. Last week we were at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, we took the stage, it's not easy. We have to pull ourselves every day and say 'What are we doing today to bring back our son?' Day by day, there are lots of activities. We have to find the energy, the people around us give us energy, it's so heartwarming."
"Everybody believes that now is the time. We spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu last night, and we expect him to announce this week in Washington that things are progressing and he's going to close the deal any day now," he added.
He noted that Prime Minister Netanyahu told them that "the conditions are starting to come together. We know from Minister Gallant, we know from the army, we know from everyone, including the White House, that the conditions are there. It requires strong leadership, we expect President Biden to say that to Prime Minister Netanyahu. We expect the Prime Minister to step up, take tough decisions, show the leader that he can be and that he should be at this tough time, to bring our kids home."