He family of an Israeli-American man raised on Long Island who is being held hostage by Hamas is pleading with those in power to help him bring 22-year-old Omer Neutra home.
Neutra's parents sat down with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell after being on the border with Hamas-ruled Gaza โso close to Omer,โ her mother, Orna Neutra, said at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. It was there where they and the families of other hostages held a vigil to commemorate the 100 days since since October 7when Hamas attacked Israel and kidnapped nearly 240 people, including many civilians.
"We're pushing for anyone we see to take action," his father, Ronen Neutra, told Mitchell. "Whether it's the State Department, the FBI or the Israeli authorities."
โIt's been too long, it's too dangerous,โ Orna Neutra agreed.
Many hostage families are now pushing for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which quickly responded to the attacks with an offensive.
"Whatever you have achieved so far, you can continue to do so after bringing [the hostages] We came out alive,โ said Orna Neutra.
The Neutras, both descendants of Holocaust survivors, immigrated to the United States from Israel in 2000.
Neutra enlisted in the IDF as part of a gap year before starting university. Although her parents were aware of the risks, Orna Neutra said they โcould never imagine this situation.โ
"He was in his tank with his team and they were ambushed" at the Gaza border on Oct. 7, his mother said. โThey forced them to leave and took them away.โ
Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on October 7 at the Nova music festival and in their homes, leaving a It is estimated that there are 1,200 dead.. While some hostages have been freed amid brief ceasefires, more than 130 are is still captive.
On 24,000 Palestinians have been killed as part of the response offensive, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
