IDF confirms death of New Yorker Omer Maxim Neutra
IDF said Monday that Long Islander Omer Neutra was killed during the Oct.7, 2023 Hamas invasion of Israel. He was thought to have been held hostage.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the death of Cap. Omar Maxim Neutra from Long Island Monday. The tank commander was 21.
Neutra was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the IDF. He was posthumously promoted from the rank of lieutenant to captain.
Neutra deferred enrolling at SUNY Binghamton to join the IDF after high school, according to CBS News.
Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed in a statement Monday he was “barbarically murdered” by Hamas.
The Times of Israel reported that it had been believed Neutra was alive and being held hostage in Gaza. It’s now thought he was killed in battle near Nir Oz before his body was taken over the Gaza border from Israel.
“The IDF shares in the family’s grief,” Israeli officials said in a statement.
A Barclays Center crowd hoped for Neutra’s safe return during an event in October 2023, where his image appeared on a Jumbotron. His family came into Brooklyn from Long Island a day after what would’ve been his 22nd birthday. They believed he was being held captive with two other Americans.
“We pray that his body can be returned to his family, who have been speaking out for him & all hostages since that horrific day,” Gov. Hochul’s office said.
No other details about Neutra’s death were immediately made available. His family couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
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