The heartbreak emanating from the Hamas attack on October 7 continues to create fresh wounds.
On Monday, the IDF announced the death of Capt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21. Until now, it had been believed that Neutra, a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, was alive and being held hostage. However, according to the announcement, his body was abducted by Hamas along with members of his tank crew.
Neutra’s parents, Ronen and Orna, became high-profile advocates for their son and all of the hostages held in Gaza over the last 14 months, often speaking at public events and meeting top officials in Jerusalem and Washington.
The announcement of Netura’s death came two days after the dramatic release by Hamas of a propaganda video in which hostage Edan Alexander described the hell that he and his fellow hostages were living through and pleaded for their release.
Alexander, a Golani Brigade soldier stationed at Nirim near the Gaza border, was abducted by Hamas on October 7.Besides being soldiers on active duty on that date, what unites the stories of Neutra and Alexander is that they were both American citizens – lone soldiers who came to Israel by choice to serve in the army of the Jewish people.
Before time runs out
Neutra, born in Manhattan and raised in Long Island, joined the IDF after spending a gap year in Israel. Born in Tel Aviv, Alexander grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, and joined Golani after graduating high school in 2022.
Five other US citizens are still unaccounted for and presumed to be held alive by Hamas. They are all symbols of the strong bond between Israel and the US and the values of freedom and democracy that they share.
As such, the Biden administration has gone above and beyond to push for their release and the release of all of the hostages. During this transition period ahead of the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, it’s imperative that the ball is not dropped and that both teams work in coordination to probe every possible avenue to secure a deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, emphasized that importance when she met with Trump on Sunday in Miami. She wrote on Instagram that she had “raised with the president the immense suffering our country has endured since October 7 and the inhumanity of the Hamas terrorists… I emphasized the urgent need to act for their [the hostages’] release and swift return.”
In his video message, Alexander called on Trump to “use your influence and the full power of the United States to negotiate for our freedom… I do not want to end up dead like my fellow US citizen Hersh [Goldberg-Polin – who Hamas killed in September].”
Alexander’s father, Adi, speaking at a rally in New York on Sunday, appealed to both Biden and Trump, urging the former to negotiate a deal “before it’s too late” and advising Trump not to wait until taking office in January “to make an impact.”
To their credit, the US leaders seemed to have internalized that message. Adi Alexander said Trump’s team told him they were “shoulder-to-shoulder with the current administration to resolve the issue.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CBS on Sunday that there had been good coordination between the Biden and Trump teams about “all aspects” of the Middle East crisis.
“This is how it should be in a transition. This is what we’re going to keep driving for every day that we have left in office,” he said.
These efforts are being made because Americans, like Israelis, cherish life and will go to extreme means to rescue their citizens.
The Post’s Hannah Sarisohn reported that Adi Alexander told the attendees of the Sunday rally that “the world is watching. To everyone listening – friends, neighbors, Americans, and Israelis – please amplify our voices and call on your leaders to secure a deal. Call on them to act now. We cannot afford to wait,” he said as supporters chanted, “You are not alone!”
With the US’s deep investment in securing all of the hostages’ release, Israel indeed knows that it’s not alone.
