Joe Biden expressed being ‘devastated and outraged’ by Neutra’s death and pledged to work for the hostages’ release.
Donald Trump has threatened to hit Hamas “harder than anybody has been hit” after it emerged an American-Israeli soldier was killed on October 7.
It was believed Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, of New York, was being held hostage in Gaza, but the Israel Defence Force (IDF)announced on Monday the tank platoon commander was killed in the Hamas terror attack. His body was being held in Gaza, the IDF said.
President-elect Trump said there would be “all hell to pay” if Hamas did not release all the hostages it still held in Gaza by the time he takes office on January 20.
“If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against humanity,” Trump said.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America. Release the hostages now!”
Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the news of Neutra’s death.
The Israeli-American was “among the first to respond to Hamas’s campaign of cruelty – risking his life to save the lives of others,” Biden said.
“To all the families of those still held hostage: we see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.”
During Hamas’ raid on southern Israel, more than 200 people were taken captive and over 1000 killed. Neutra’s tank was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Last week his parents, Ronen and Orna Neutra, described the torment of having to celebrate their second Thanksgiving without their son.
Believing their son to be alive, they said they were optimistic the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon could act as a “time to refocus” on securing his release.
“We have seen that attention both in Israel and around the world was taken from the war in Gaza to the war in Lebanon in the last four or five months, and that was a concern to us,” his father told CNN.
“But at the same time, we are disappointed that it was not combined with a hostage deal, which is really the most urgent element right now. We consider it a missed opportunity.”
Fragile truce at risk
Meanwhile, the peace deal between Israel and Hezbollah threatened to unravel on Monday night with Israel’s military announcing it was “currently striking terror targets in Lebanon”.
The announcement comes after a Hezbollah attack earlier in the day targeting an Israeli military position in a disputed area on the Israel-Lebanon border, the group’s first since the truce took effect on Wednesday.
Al Mayadeen, a pro-Hezbollah Lebanese media channel, said the group had carried out “a warning operation” following what it called Israeli violations of the fragile US-France-brokered ceasefire agreed last week.
The US responded saying it believed the ceasefire was still in place, but it was looking at potential violations.
“The ceasefire is holding,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
“When we get reports of potential violations, we have a mechanism that we put in place with the government of France to look at those potential violations, determine if they are in fact violations, and then engage with the parties to ensure that they aren’t repeated,” he said.
Donald Trump plans to hit Hamas hard if it doesn't release the hostages it still held in Gaza. Photo / Getty Images
Growing up on Long Island, Neutra was a fan of the Knicks and the captain of several school sports teams, the Times of Israel reported.
Family and friends described him as a “warm, optimistic and caring individual who lights up the room the moment he enters”, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The grandchild of Holocaust survivors, he is said to have joined the IDF after spending a gap year in Israel in 2020, putting off plans to attend Binghamton University, New York.
According to Biden’s statement, Neutra planned to return to the US for college after his service came to an end.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Neutra’s body would be brought back to Israel for burial.
“Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every sense of the word,” he said. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”
Netanyahu said Israel “will not rest or be silent until we return him home for a Jewish burial and we will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Neutra “fell in a heroic battle near Nir Oz on October 7”, a kibbutz near the country’s southern border.
It comes after a separate US-Israeli hostage pleaded with Trump to use his “influence” to free him in a proof-of-life video released by Hamas.
In the three-and-a-half-minute video, Edan Alexander, 20, urged the incoming President: “Please use your influence and the full power of the United States to negotiate for our freedom.
“Please, do not make the mistake Biden has been doing.
“The weapons he has sent are now killing us and the unlawful sieges are now starving us. I don’t want to end up dead like my fellow USA citizen [Hersh Goldberg-Polin].”
Goldberg-Polin was killed by Hamas in August.
It is believed 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
