Parents of slain IDF soldier Omer Neutra mark three years since Oct 7 massacre in mourning

Ronen and Orna Neutra are marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack by mourning their son, Omer Neutra, whose remains were returned to Israel on Nov. 7, 2025. The couple spent 421 days believing their 21-year-old son was alive in captivity before learning he had been killed during the initial assault. Omer Neutra, a Long Island native and grandson of Holocaust survivors, enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces after high school. Hamas terrorists attacked his tank near the Gaza border on Oct. 7, 2023, killing him and taking his remains into Gaza. For 14 months, Orna Neutra stated that she and her husband fought to bring him back alive, operating under the belief that he was among the hostages who could still be released. The family did not receive confirmation of his death until 421 days after the attack. Following that revelation, it took more than a year for his remains to be returned and buried. Orna Neutra told Fox & Friends on Wednesday that this is the first year the family has been able to properly visit his gravesite and hold a memorial. She described the process as a difficult ordeal, noting that the burial occurred on Nov. 7, 2025. Ronen Neutra said that remembering their son involves acknowledging the principles he believed he was defending. He stated that Omer understood Israel as the only state where Jewish people are fully protected and able to protect themselves, citing moral clarity as central to their remembrance.