Latest news with #OmerNeutra
The National
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
US hostage envoy describes 'new sense of ability' to achieve deal with Hamas
US hostage envoy Adam Boehler said he is optimistic about a potential deal between Hamas and Israel that would involve the release of hostages from Gaza. During an appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Mr Boehler told anchor Jake Tapper that negotiations were down to 'little details' and that in his opinion, mentalities have changed significantly in recent months. 'I think that post Israel winning in Iran, there's a new sense of ability to get something done,' he said, cautioning that he felt Hamas was still being 'hardheaded', while Israel was 'bending over backwards'. Mr Boehler also spoke about the two deceased Americans believed to be remaining in Gaza, Omer Neutra and Itay Chen, saying that it was still a major priority for the administration to recover their bodies and 'get them home'. He claimed that during previous occasions when Hamas had turned down potential deals, their negotiating position weakened. 'So my recommendation to Hamas would be take the deal that Israel and the United States is offering you,' he continued. 'Let's get some people home and let's move to end this conflict.' As of June, it was estimated that 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Back in March, Mr Boehler was the source of controversy for the Trump White House when he described Hamas as 'nice guys' and said his country was 'not an agent of Israel'. He later said in a social media post: 'I want to be crystal clear as some have misinterpreted. Hamas is a terrorist organisation that has murdered thousands of innocent people. They are by definition bad people.' Israel's campaign in Gaza – which followed the 2023 attacks by Hamas-led fighters on Israel that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the capture of 240 hostages – has killed nearly 58,895 people and injured more than 140,980. The latest round of Gaza talks mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt began on July 6. On Sunday, sources told The National that Hamas was considering giving Israel and Gaza ceasefire mediators until the end of the week to reach a deal that would end the war or it would withdraw from the current talks in Doha and only return if proposals for a comprehensive deal are on the table. Also on Sunday, the Gaza Health Ministry said at least 85 Palestinians waiting for aid had been killed in Gaza – the deadliest day yet for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. The deaths included 79 people trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel in northern Gaza, the ministry said. More than 150 people were injured, some of them left in critical condition.
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Who Is Edan Alexander?
Edan Alexander, 21, is the last living American citizen held by Hamas in Gaza. On Sunday, the Palestinian militant group said it would free him, just days before President Trump is set to travel to the Middle East. Who is Edan Alexander? Mr. Alexander is an American Israeli dual citizen who grew up in Tenafly, N.J. In 2022, during his senior year of high school, he joined Garin Tzabar, which prepares young people from around the world to join the Israel Defense Forces. He moved to Israel to serve in the military after he graduated and was assigned to the infantry. Mr. Alexander was stationed near the border with Gaza in September 2023. How was he taken hostage? Mr. Alexander was abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that ignited the war in Gaza. He was taken from a tiny military outpost near the border with Gaza. Last year, Hamas released a video of him. An American Israeli friend of Mr. Alexander, Omer Neutra, who was serving in the same post, was also taken by Hamas. In December, the White House announced that Mr. Neutra was killed on Oct. 7 and that Hamas had been holding his remains since the attack. He was 21. How has Mr. Alexander's family responded? His parents, Adi and Yael Alexander, were born in Israel, and they have two other children. They have agitated relentlessly for Mr. Alexander's freedom, meeting with officials and speaking at rallies. 'We live in agony each day that passes without our son,' his parents wrote in a guest essay for The New York Times in September after the discovery of the body of another hostage, the Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin. On Sunday, the Alexanders traveled to Israel with Trump administration officials. In a statement, the family called his coming return 'the greatest gift imaginable.' They also urged Israel's government to negotiate the release of the remaining captives, saying, 'No hostage should be left behind.'
CBS News
07-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Fallen IDF soldier Omer Neutra honored with road naming in Plainview, Long Island
Part of a road in the Long Island town of Plainview now stands in memory of Omer Neutra , an American-Israeli hostage murdered by Hamas. As the holiday of Passover approaches, there was a bittersweet ceremony Sunday for the Jewish community. The street sign for Captain Omer Neutra Way now hangs by the entrance of the Mid-Island Y Jewish Community Center. It is named after a man who his community hails as a hero. "To see my son's name on a big sign like this, it's beyond comprehension. We've been fighting for 18 months now to get him back," Ronen Neutra said. It has been painful battle for the family who raised him on Long Island before he joined the Israel Defense Forces to serve as a tank commander. He was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. In December of last year, Israeli officials say he was killed in battle on that day . "He chose to serve. He chose to put his life to defend the Jewish nation. As a former soldier, I know what that entails," Nassau County Legislator Mazi Pilip said. Omer Neutra's body was taken to Gaza and is still being held by Hamas. It's a source of unthinkable pain for a community who has been waiting to say its farewell. "Omer is someone who grew up in our community. I knew him personally, and he was very involved and a local leader here, and someone who I think other kids, his peers, really looked up to for inspiration and leadership," said Rabbi Joel Levinson, of the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset. Hundreds of supporters gathered for Sunday's somber ceremony as they continued their push to return the rest of the hostages . "I can't even begin to imagine what it felt like for the Neutras. Having a son just about the same age and worrying every day that he's over there that the same thing could happen, it hit home very much so," Old Bethpage resident Amanda Field said. The road renaming comes as the family of Edan Alexander, another American-Israeli hostage, continues to look for signs and cling to hope that their son is still alive . "Our kids, actually my son, knew him and and they were very close friends. This we know now," said Adi Aleander, Edan's father. "There is a very important meeting tomorrow between President Trump and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and I hope the main message of that meeting will be the hostage issue and not the tariff issue or any other issue. And, hopefully, we will see that fast and go over the finish line." Leaders say Nassau County has the third-largest Jewish population in the country, and lawmakers promised to support the community that feels a rise in antisemitism. "And we will not be silent. And we will never forget the names of all the hostages and we will not rest until all the hostages are returned, including Omer Neutra, so his family can give him a proper burial. It's inhumane that his body is still being held," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said. As Passover nears, attendees on Sunday vowed to keep an empty chair at their seder table to remember those who remain in captivity . "It's tough. It's the holiday of freedom and there 59 souls that are not. So we have to take them, we have to bring them back," Ronen Neutra said.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli-American hostage's parents push for his body to be returned home
Israeli officials confirmed Omer Neutra's death months ago and said he was killed when troops rushed to the border to defend Israel at the start of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Ronen and Orna Neutra join 'Morning in America' to remember their son and highlight their fight for the return of his body so that they can bury his remains properly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
