Parents of U.S.-Israeli citizen held by Hamas describe 8 months of hoping for his release

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• Amna Nawaz:

  While the rescue of four hostages is great news for some, there are still about 120 hostages remaining in Gaza.

  One of them is 22-year-old Omer Neutra. He's an American and Israeli citizen and was serving as a tank commander in the Israel Defense Forces on October 7 stationed on the Gaza border when he was taken captive by Hamas.

  His parents, Orna and Ronen Neutra, join me now.

  Welcome and thank you for being here.

  Ronen Neutra, Father of Israeli-American Hostage Omer Neutra-Orna: Thank you for having us.

  Orna Neutra, Mother of Israeli-American Hostage Omer Neutra-Orna: Thank you.

• Amna Nawaz:

  So, Orna, tell us a little bit about your son. I understand he was born and raised in Long Island. He spent a gap year in Israel, deferring college back in 2020 and decided to stay and join the IDF.

  Tell us why.

• Orna Neutra:

  So, Omer was actually born in New York City, one month after 9/11, on 10/14. And, on 9/11 I was working in the city. I was nine months pregnant with him, and I remember walking over the Queensboro Bridge thinking to myself, I can't believe that this is happening.

  So he was born right after that, and into that climate in New York City, a lot of — I remember a lot of people posting missing people, and now he's on one of these pictures in this horrible terrorist attack.

  Nothing in his childhood could have prepared us for this. He had a happy childhood on Long Island, very close community. He was accepted to Binghamton University, but decided that he wanted to spend a year in Israel. We're both dual citizens of Israel and the United States. He said: "If I'm going to spend a year in Israel, I want to do it the way Israeli kids would do it."

  And he felt very strongly that he shouldn't just go back to college, that he should serve as well, that it was his duty to serve.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Ronen, as you know, we're speaking just after this raid in Central Gaza that did end up freeing four hostages from captivity there, wonderful news, joyful news for their families. As you also know, it was reported that the Gaza Health Ministry said over 270 Palestinians were killed in that operation.

  I just wonder, would you want an operation like that carried out if it meant that your son could be freed?

• Ronen Neutra:

  Well, obviously, we want our son back. And any way they can get him healthy back, we will take it.

  But we also realize that, throughout the eight months, I believe only seven people were rescued in an operation by the IDF, which means that most people will get out of there with a deal, through negotiation. So we encourage all the parties to take it seriously and reach a deal, because that's the only and the safest way both for our kids and the families, but also for the people in Gaza to get to some sustainable arrangement that will basically bring some peace to the area.

  And it's up to Hamas right now, as far as we understand, to accept the deal.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Do you think it's time that the Biden administration starts to negotiate on its own to release American hostages like your son? Do you want to see them do that?

• Ronen Neutra:

  We'd like to see our son back. So, any way possible to bring our son back is something we're going to welcome.

  I would like to remind your viewers that, on October 7, 45 Americans were murdered brutally and 12 Americans were taken hostage. Four came back. Eight Americans are still kept hostage. Out of them, five are considered living and three were murdered at October 7.

  It's something that not a lot of America knows.

• Amna Nawaz:

  As you know, in this negotiation, Hamas has continuously asked for a permanent cease-fire deal as part of this plan. Do you want the Netanyahu government to accept that?

• Orna Neutra:

  We are family members. We cannot tell the government exactly what they need to do to get them out.

  But we expect all sides to stay at the table until they reach an agreement, whatever is needed.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Even if it means a permanent cease-fire?

• Orna Neutra:

  Even if it means a permanent cease-fire.

• Amna Nawaz:

  As you know, we just marked eight months of this war since that October 7 attack. I know you have measured those months in days, days that you wear every day across your chest, 248.

• Ronen Neutra:

  Yes.

• Amna Nawaz:

  I just wonder if you can help us understand what the last eight months have been like for you watching all of this unfold, knowing the dozens and dozens, over 1,100 Israelis that were killed on that day, seeing the tens of thousands of Palestinians that have been killed since, and you just wanting your son home. What's that been like for you?

• Orna Neutra:

  It's been a crazy roller coaster.

  You mentioned before that the administration may be negotiating on behalf of the Americans. We woke up this morning to a phone bombarded with messages. Is this true? What's happening? Is Omer coming home?

  It's hard not to get excited by every proposition of a deal that may be happening or — but, then again, we have seen these deals collapse just as quickly as the surface. And it's been very difficult. And for us specifically, we don't have proof of life from Omer, beyond the initial attack and video footage that Hamas themselves put out on that day showing that he was taken.

  And he was alive when he was taken. So, for us, it's been excruciating, just the uncertainty and the worry and the concern. It's been very — it's been very difficult.

• Ronen Neutra:

  We wake up every morning and we are asking ourselves, what are we doing today to try and promote a return of the hostages, and our son included?

  So the only way we're dealing with this is through activism, and not through emotions. We're pushing our emotions away. It's very long, and it's — like Orna said, it's a lot of up and downs and a roller coaster. And we're just focusing on telling Omer's story, making sure people don't forget.

• Orna Neutra:

  Our life has completely changed. We have not worked since October 7.

  We're stuck with our last conversation with our son. I still have him in my head anticipating a quiet weekend.

• Amna Nawaz:

  That was the last conversation you had with him?

• Orna Neutra:

  That was the last conversation the evening before.

• Ronen Neutra:

  The night before.

• Orna Neutra:

  We spoke with him in the afternoon in New York, which was nighttime in Israel.

• Ronen Neutra:

  And just as we were about to go to sleep, we are just checking our phones, and we're seeing the barrage of missiles going on and a ground attack on Israel. And we knew Omer is there.

  So we try to call him, and, unfortunately, no response. But we didn't sleep that night trying to figure out what happened, calling anybody we could, and trying to figure out what happened to his tank.

• Orna Neutra:

  And we still find it hard to believe. It's like a surreal situation that we're in.

• Ronen Neutra:

  So…

• Orna Neutra:

  And we try to keep up hope.

• Ronen Neutra:

  Yes.

• Orna Neutra:

  We don't let our minds go anywhere that's too negative, because, otherwise, we can't function.

• Ronen Neutra:

  Hope is mandatory.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Ronen and Orna Neutra, I can't thank you enough for being here, for sharing Omer's story with us, and we hope he's back with you soon.

• Orna Neutra:

  Thank you.

• Ronen Neutra:

  Thank you so much.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Thank you for being here.

• Ronen Neutra:

  Thank you.

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