IDF says US-Israeli hostage Cpt. Omer Neutra killed on Oct. 7 and his body held in Gaza
Neutra, a tank commander stationed on border during Hamas’s terror onslaught, was abducted with 3 fellow troops; military chief rabbi declares death based on findings, new intel
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Fourteen months after Hamas’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces on Monday said it had confirmed that Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, was killed amid the attack and his body was being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Neutra, a “lone soldier” from New York — called that because his parents were not in Israel — served as a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion.
Until now it had been believed that Neutra was alive and being held hostage.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, he was stationed in a tank on the Gaza border near the southern community of Nahal Oz. Neutra was the tank commander, Sgt. Shaked Dahan was the driver, Sgt. Nimrod Cohen was the gunner, and Sgt. Oz Daniel was the loader.
During the assault on southern Israel, their tank was attacked by Hamas terrorists with RPG fire and explosive devices. All four were then abducted to Gaza.
Infamous footage from the attack showed Palestinians in civilian clothing standing on and around their tank while it was wreathed in smoke and flames, and the soldiers being dragged out by Hamas terrorists.
Dahan’s death was confirmed in November 2023 and Daniel’s death was announced in February. Now, after 14 months, Neutra’s death was also confirmed. All three were killed on October 7, 2023, according to the IDF.
Cohen’s fate remains unknown, though his father, Yehuda, told Ynet news on Monday, “We have received indications that Nimrod is alive. I am sure my son is alive, and I am fighting.”
Neutra’s death was declared by the Military Rabbinate based on findings and new intelligence information, according to the IDF.
In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to Neutra’s family and vowed that his body would 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.”
He added that 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 loss of Captain Omer Maxim Neutra is deeply painful. Omer, a 21-year-old American-Israeli, was an example of courage as a tank platoon commander in the Armored Corps, defending Israel during the brutal October 7 massacre.
Omer was kidnapped on Oct. 7 to Gaza and we can now… pic.twitter.com/ugUbeArUK5
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) December 2, 2024
Growing up in Long Island, New York, Neutra was a fan of the Knicks, and was the captain of his high school basketball team, his volleyball team, and the soccer team, when necessary. “That’s the kind of guy he is,” said his father, Ronen Neutra.
Neutra decided to join the Israeli army after spending a gap year in Israel in 2020, putting off his plans to attend Binghamton University.
The Neutras last spoke with their son on October 6, the day before the massacre. When his parents, Ronen and Orna, heard what was happening on October 7, the father scrambled to contact his son.
Ronen Neutra told CBS News shortly after the Hamas massacre that his son was interested in peace-building and had looked forward to returning to Long Island and college. “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?”
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015.
Times of Israel staff and Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
