The Israeli military announced Monday that an Israeli-American soldier previously believed to have been taken hostage during Hamas’ October 7 attack is now presumed dead, with his body believed to be in Gaza.
Neutra, 21, a New York native serving in the Israeli military, became a prominent figure in the hostage crisis through his parents’ extensive public campaign. Ronen and Orna Neutra advocated for their son’s release through protests in both the United States and Israel, speaking at the Republican National Convention and maintaining regular contact with the Biden administration.
The military did not detail how it reached its conclusion about Neutra’s fate. His death reduces the number of American Israelis held in Gaza to six, with four now presumed dead. The announcement follows Hamas’ recent release of a video showing another American-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, apparently alive.
This development comes as Hamas continues to hold approximately 100 hostages in Gaza, with at least one-third believed to be deceased. The Biden administration has initiated new efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of remaining captives, following multiple failed negotiations.
The situation occurs against the backdrop of a tentative ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border with Hezbollah, despite ongoing tensions from Israeli military actions in the region. The broader conflict, triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, has resulted in at least 44,429 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The war has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure and displaced 2.3 million residents, about 90% of the territory’s population. While Israel reports killing over 17,000 militants, it has not provided evidence to support this claim.
