The remains of Omer Neutra, an American citizen, have been returned by Hamas alongside two other deceased hostages, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.
During a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One, en route back to Washington from Florida, Trump disclosed that he had spoken with Neutra’s parents.
“Neutra, from New York, was one of ours,” Trump stated. “I’ve had the chance to speak with his parents. They are relieved in one way, but it’s understandably a complicated situation. We are pleased to have achieved this outcome. We retrieved three bodies today, and the search continues for the others,” he added.
Omer Neutra had pursued a gap year in Israel in 2020, after which he joined the Israeli army. He was also a student at Binghamton University.
In remembrance, a photograph of Omer Neutra was prominently displayed during his memorial service on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, New York. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo)
An image of Omer Neutra is displayed at his memorial service Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 at the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, N.Y. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo)
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Israel has received the remains of three Israeli hostages through the Red Cross; the remains were recovered by IDF and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip, according to a statement.
The announcement said the bodies would be transferred to Israel, where they will be honored in a military ceremony led by the Chief Military Rabbi.
Afterward, they will be taken to the National Center of Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health for identification. Once the process is completed, official notifications will be delivered to the families.
All families of the deceased hostages have been informed, and the government expressed deep condolences with the statement saying its “hearts are with them at this difficult time.”
President Donald Trump announced an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages. (Leon Neal/Getty; Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty)
The official statement also reaffirmed Israel’s ongoing commitment to bringing all hostages home and declared that efforts will continue “relentlessly and will not cease until the last hostage is brought home.”
The Israeli public was also urged to respect the families’ privacy and avoid spreading unverified information, with updates provided only from official sources.
Though the identities of the bodies have not yet been confirmed, Hamas said they were three Israeli soldiers.
Hamas terrorists emerge escorting Red Cross vehicles carrying 3 Israeli hostages to be released as part of the ceasefire deal. (TPS-IL)
So far, Hamas has returned 17 deceased hostages since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10. But 11 other hostage bodies are still thought to be in Gaza.
Per Reuters, Israel claimed Hamas has been slow at delivering the deceased bodies, while Hamas said it is working as quickly as possible but under difficult conditions.
Otherwise, before Sunday’s hostage release, Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, killing one, according to reports.
Hamas has not yet turned over all the dead hostages to Israel. (Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Israeli army claimed its aircraft struck a militant who was a threat to its forces, while Al-Ahli Hospital said one man had been killed in the airstrike in Gaza City, according to reports.
Israeli soldiers inspect the burnt cars of festival-goers at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Oct. 13, 2023. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
“There are still Hamas pockets in the areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,” Netanyahu said during an Israeli broadcast.
Hamas had agreed per the ceasefire to hand over the remains of 28 dead hostages in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants that were killed in the Gaza war.
