Parents of Israeli hostage advocate for release as Hamas attack anniversary nears

Every day, Ronen and Orna Neutra change the sticker on their shirts to reflect how many days their son has been held hostage in Gaza.

On Wednesday, 334 was written in marker.

“It helps us remember where we are,” Ronen said.

Their son, 22-year-old Omer Neutra, was among the 240 people taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel that claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people and sparked a war that has resulted in more than 40,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza health ministry.

On Wednesday, just days after six Israeli hostages were killed by Hamas, Ronen and Orna Neutra advocated for the urgent release of all the hostages ahead of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit in Las Vegas, where they will speak Thursday night.

Orna described her son as a smiley “all-American kid” born in New York one month after 9/11. He grew up in Plainview, a hamlet on Long Island with a strong Jewish community. He was active in his youth group and was captain of the volleyball, basketball and soccer teams. He loves the New York Knicks and Jets, Orna Neutra said in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

After he graduated high school, Omer Neutra enrolled in college and did a gap year in Israel, where he and his family are dual citizens. He made friends in Israel and decided to stay and serve in the Israel Defense Forces and became a tank commander, Orna Neutra said.

Omer Neutra was a first responder the day of Oct. 7 when the Israel border was breached, she said. He was attacked with his team in the tank by explosives and grenades, and he was taken to Gaza as a hostage.

“For us, life stopped,” said Orna Neutra. She had spoken to her son that Friday afternoon, hours before the attack.

Since then, Orna and Ronen Neutra took action and worked to advocate for his — and all hostages’ — release. They have been at the White House 14 times and have met with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and multiple cabinet members, Ronen Neutra said.

A deal was brokered last November to release 110 women and children, but a large number of hostages remain behind, including eight American citizens, Ronen said, wearing a yellow ribbon pin to symbolize the American hostages.

Last weekend, six hostages were found dead, including 23-year-old American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention advocating for his release.

“We were completely shocked and heartbroken,” Ronen Neutra said. The parents had been close with each other since their children were taken hostage.

Ronen Neutra said he is frustrated from the politics behind it and said politicians don’t see the urgency in getting a ceasefire.

“I think there’s a true desire to reach, to bring the hostages back,” Ronen Neutra said. “Without a doubt, President Biden, emotionally, is very connected to our cause. He really wants to bring them back.”

The government determined the way to bring back the hostages is through a large deal that encompasses all the hostages, but it is part of an overall goal to reach stability, stop the war and make Israel safe from threat, Ronen Neutra said.

It’s a big goal that the government hasn’t reached, delaying the release of hostages, Ronen Neutra said. He and his wife are urging the government to focus on the hostages as the most pressing issue, and they continue to call on the international community, as well.

“This is not just an Israeli problem, not just an American problem,” Ronen said. Twenty four different nations have hostages who are citizens, and their religions include Muslims and Christians. “Leaders need to take brave decisions. And the time is now.”

A multi-stage deal is in the works, but that will take months, Ronen Neutra said.

“We don’t have that time,” Ronen Neutra said.

He said both of Omer’s grandparents are Holocaust survivors, and he knows his son is strong, too.

“We just hope that he’s taking all this energy that so many people are praying for him and wanting to see him back, so many people love him and miss him,” Ronen Neutra said. “And he knows that, but he needs to survive those tough conditions and now hopefully come back and we’ll help him get his life back. First we need him back.”

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.