IDF confirms death of American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra

After more than a year, the IDF has announced the death of American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra, whose body they say has been held in Gaza since October 7.

The 21-year-old from New York, who served as a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, was believed to have been alive and held as a captive in Gaza until the IDF announced his death on Monday, citing new intelligence information.

They now say the “lone soldier” – named as such because his parents were not in Israel with him – was killed in battle with Hamas on the morning of October 7, when Neutra was stationed in a tank on the Gaza border near Nahal Oz. The tank was reportedly attacked by terrorists with RPG fire and explosive devices, and all four men in the vehicle were believed to have been abducted to Gaza.

Footage from the attack, released earlier this year, shows Nimrod Cohen, Shaked Dahan, Oz Daniel and Neutra being dragged from the smoking tank by Hamas militants. Dahan’s death was confirmed in November 2023 and Daniel’s in February. According to the IDF, both young men – and Neutra – were killed on October 7. Cohen’s fate remains unknown.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his condolences to Neutra’s family and expressed his determination for the young man’s body to be brought back to Israel for burial.

“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.”

Neutra, who grew up in Long Island, New York, joined the IDF after spending a gap year in Israel in 2020, deferring his plans to attend Binghamton University. He was a fan of the Knicks, the captain of his high school basketball team and volleyball team, "and when the soccer team needed a captain, he was captain of the soccer team," his father Ronen told CBS News. "That's the kind of guy he is."

Neutra’s parents spoke at the Republican National Convention in July this year to plead for their son’s release from captivity and have tirelessly campaigned for the safe return of the remaining hostages.