The family of an American man taken hostage in Gaza is warning how innocent people are being held hostage in the “worst place in the world.” Hamas imprisonment Dying and fighting for their lives.
Ronen and Orna Neutra said their lives have been shattered and they have lived in constant pain and uncertainty since October 7 when Hamas captured their son, Omer, 22, while he was stationed at a base near Kibbutz Nir Oz. Omer grew up on Long Island, New York, and is an American-Israeli dual citizen Serving in the Israel Defense Forces,
“It’s crazy. We’re in constant pain and anxiety, and we still have to function at a very high, intense level. Every single day we’re traveling everywhere. We’re in this fight for his life,” Orna explained. Fox News Digital,
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Omar Neutra is an American citizen held captive by Hamas. (Fox News Digital)
Orna and Ronen have been traveling around the world, speaking to world leaders and pleading with them to intervene and help their son. As for how they’re handling the pressure, they said they’re just pretending to be parents.
“We don’t consider ourselves special in any way. We’re just normal parents. We have a small business on Long Island. We had a very quiet and regular life, but that was taken away from us. And we want to get back to that,” Ronan said.
In his remarks on the occasion Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas Last week Ronen said the only solution to the problem was a hostage settlement
“This is urgent. They are in the greatest danger. They are dying,” he said during a speech. “Omar and the other 100 hostages are running out of time … We know without a doubt that every moment in captivity is a risk to their lives and health. A settlement is the only viable path to bringing all the hostages home.”
The IDF said Hamas killed six hostages last week – including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin – after they were tortured in a tunnel under extremely poor conditions. All six hostages were found dead during an IDF operation in tunnels beneath Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip, on Saturday. The IDF believes they were killed shortly before Israeli troops arrived at the scene.
The conditions in the tunnel where they were allegedly killed by Hamas were terrible and the hostages were having trouble breathing. According to Israel’s Channel 13,
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Ronan’s wife gave a message to her son at the reception, urging him to be strong.
“Omar, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. We will not stop fighting to bring you back home. And we will not lose hope,” his mother said at the Republican Jewish Coalition convention in Las Vegas.
They said, “Omar, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. We will not stop fighting to bring you back home. And we will not lose hope.”
Omar was born and raised in New York. His parents describe him as a friendly person, a sports fan – closely following the NBA and NFL – and an athlete.
“He’s a typical kid with a messy bedroom,” his mother said. “He’s a fun-loving, very spontaneous, fun-loving guy. And on the other hand, he’s a guy who knows when to do the right thing and how to move forward.”
His father said that Umar is strong and he has confidence in him.
“Everything we do, we think about him and whether he is doing it or not,” Omar’s father said.
“Our grandparents showed great resourcefulness and survival skills by escaping the genocide in Europe while most of their families were destroyed. And maybe those genes flow down and Omar has them and it’s that survival instinct that kept him strong and alive to go through this hell in Gaza, in this worst place. Possibly the worst place in the world,” he said.
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Whatever the family does, every moment, they think about their son.
“When we wake up. Is he awake? When we bathe, we ask ourselves, did he get a bath? Is he getting new clothes? When we eat, we think about him. Is he getting food?” Omer’s father said. “How is he dealing with this? So everything is very personal. Everything is very difficult.”
His mother said that a few days before Omar was taken captive, there was a discussion about future plans.
“Somehow they started talking about family, and he told his mother that he knew that if something happened to him, his parents would do everything for him. And of course, we are blamed for this. He is our son. He is suffering and suffering here. And we have to do everything possible to save him,” his mother said.
