Omer Neutra’s brother: ‘You asked for backup but no one came’

Daniel Neutra, brother of the deceased hostage Omer Neutra, speaks in English at his brother’s funeral in Tel Aviv.

He remembers the infrequent reunions as a family after his brother became a lone soldier in Israel.

“Here we are, all together again, after two and a half years, the longest time we’ve ever been apart,” says Neutra.

He says a friend asked if his brother would be buried in America, but his brother had chosen Israel. “He refused to say that he was a ‘lone soldier’ because he couldn’t stand the looks of reverence,” says Neutra. “And ultimately, that’s why you’re here instead of there,” he says, pointing at his brother’s grave.

He notes this isn’t the first funeral held for his brother, as a memorial service was held for him in December 2024 after it was confirmed that he had been killed.

“It’s like your bar mitzvah — we did one here and one there,” says Neutra.

He says there was something wrong with sitting shiva for his brother last year, as the family didn’t have the privilege of thinking about moving on afterward. He speaks of hearing the recording from his brother’s tank as they faced overwhelming forces, and his brother battled smoke to speak on the radio.

“You asked for backup but no one came,” says Neutra.

He says that others have told him he looks like his brother, something that wasn’t always true. “I did the math,” says Neutra. “We’re the same age now. Today I’m exactly three days older than you were the last time we embraced.”