SYOSSET, N.Y. (AP) — A Jewish community in the New York City suburbs is mourning the death of a young Israeli American soldier who Israeli authorities had believed was taken hostage following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Funeral services are being held Tuesday for Omer Neutra in a synagogue on Long Island, where the dual Israeli-U.S. citizen grew up.
The Israeli military announced Monday it had determined the 21-year-old was not taken alive by Hamas but was killed during the group’s surprise attack on the Nova Music Festival that sparked the latest conflict in the Middle East. His body was then taken into the Palestinian territory of Gaza, where it remains.
Neutra’s family has held out hope the Plainville native was still alive after being ambushed and pulled out of his disabled tank while trying to defend Israel’s border from Hamas forces.
His parents, Ronen and Orna, have been a regular presence at protests in the U.S. and Israel.
The couple also addressed the Republican National Convention this year and maintained contact with outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration in their crusade to secure their son’s release.
Neutra was born in Manhattan a month after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The grandson of Holocaust survivors, he attended Schechter School, a conservative Jewish school on Long Island where he was captain of the basketball, soccer and volleyball teams.
His parents have said he was offered admission to the State University of New York at Binghamton, but instead deferred, took a gap year and then moved to Israel to enlist in the army.
