The parents of a young New York man who was kidnapped by Hamas are afraid their son will only return home in a body bag as the war enters its second year.
Omer Neutra, 22, of Plainview, was captured near his Israel Defense Forces base on Oct. 7, just hours after speaking with his parents about his upcoming birthday.
Come Oct. 14, Omer will have spent two birthdays as a hostage in Gaza, a heartbreaking reality plaguing his parents, Ronen and Orna Neutra, who don’t know when or how they will be reunited with their son.
“Is it in body bags? Is it in three years?” Ronen told The Post.
“We’ve seen they’re coming in body bags,” he added, referencing the six hostages who were killed by Hamas in August. “If we don’t hurry, that’s what we’re gonna get.”
Ronen and Orna have spent the last year united with the families of the other six Americans still stuck in Gaza, all advocating in Jerusalem and Washington for their governments to help free their loved ones.
Following Omer’s abduction, Orna remembered how everyone assured her that her son would be among the first hostages freed given his status as an American citizen.
“Anyone who heard that he’s American was like, ‘Oh, you’re so lucky, they’re going to be out really soon,’” she recalled.
Unfortunately, Orna said Hamas showed no favoritism with its 251 hostages, with the terrorist group electing to kill Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin before Israeli troops could get to him and five other hostages in August.
“Bullet to the head, just like the rest of them, easy, terrible,” Ronen said. “So we know they’re not protected. Because they’re Americans, they get no special benefits.”
As they find themselves navigating an on-going nightmare, Ronen said it was important for him and his wife to stay positive and believe in their son, who he described as the “most friendly guy on Earth.”
The worried father said he calms himself by thinking about Omer and how he has likely gained the trust of his captors by chatting them up and playing board games with them.
Ronen hopes his son is also using his social skills to keep the other hostages around him in good spirits as they endure unknown hardships under Hamas’ watch.
“We like to think he’s with other hostages, and he’s kind of keeping the spirit of everybody [up], making stupid jokes and talking NBA and figures and whatever is in his head to keep himself busy and the other ones around him,” Ronen said.
Hope is what is ultimately driving the Neutras forward as they solemnly mark Omer’s 366th day in captivity, with the parents rushing to interview after interview on Oct. 7 to continue advocating for their son.
A reunion for the family, however, may not come soon as the negotiations between Israel and Hamas are frozen amid an ongoing escalation of attacks between the Jewish state and Iran and its terror proxies.
While the Biden administration says it’s continuing to push for a hostage exchange deal, neither Israel nor Hamas have shown any eagerness to move forward with the proposal – as both accuse the other of trying to change the terms of the cease-fire.
“Our kid is a bargaining chip in this geopolitical nightmare, and we, the families, we’re just floating on this wave,” Orna said. “We’re trying not to sink.”