Day 750 - Orna and Ronen Neutra: Their son is still in Gaza
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 25 October 2025
⏱️ 30 minutes
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Summary
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with Orna and Ronen Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra, a tank platoon commander who was killed on October 7, 2023, his body taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.
The Neutras, Israeli-born Americans who have been living in the US for the last 20 years, talk about the last days since the start of the ceasefire, the joyous return home of 20 living hostages, as the bodies of 13 hostages are still held in Gaza.
Orna Neutra discusses how they knew they would never hug their son again, but how difficult it is to reconcile his death until they can bury his body.
Ronen Neutra offers more details about October 7, 2023, his son's heroic final moments as a commander on the so-called White House IDF post near the Gaza border.
The Neutras discuss their alliance with both the Biden and Trump administrations over the last two years, their more than 40 visits to Washington, DC, and how each US administration embraced the hostage families.
Yet, says Orna Neutra, there is still the challenge of explaining that a deceased hostage is still a hostage, and can't remain in Gaza.
Ronen Neutra talks about the gray zones of the ceasefire agreement concerning the deceased hostages, and how this war is not over until the last hostage is back.
And so this week, we ask Orna and Ronen Neutra, what matters now.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra, killed on October 7, 2023, his body still held in Gaza, at the October 18, 2025 rally at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square (Tzachi Dovrat/Israeli Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's What Matters Now, our weekly podcast delving into one issue affecting Israel in the Jewish world. |
| 0:10.4 | I am today's host, Jessica Steinberg. And here with me are Ronen and Orna Nutra, the parents of Omer Nutra, Captain Omer Maxim Nutra. |
| 0:19.3 | He was 21 when he was killed amid the October 7th, |
| 0:23.8 | 2003 Hamas terrorist attack. His body is held hostage in Gaza. Just to give a little bit more |
| 0:31.1 | background for our listeners who may not remember all the details, Ornan, Ronan, bear with me as I |
| 0:36.9 | just remind our listeners. On the morning |
| 0:39.5 | of October 7th, Omer was stationed in a tank on the Gaza border near the southern community of |
| 0:44.9 | near Oz. He was the tank commander. Sergeant Shakedahan was the driver. Sergeant Numerud |
| 0:50.2 | Cohen was the gunner. And Sergeant Oz-Dan Daniel was the loader. During the assault that day, |
| 0:55.9 | their tank was attacked by Hamas terrorists with RPG fire and explosive devices. All four |
| 1:02.8 | were then abducted to Gaza. Nimrod Cohen was the only one who lived and he was released home last week a week ago. In December, |
| 1:14.9 | Omer's death was declared by the army by the IDF based on findings and new intelligence information. |
| 1:21.8 | And now, a week into the ceasefire that appears to still be holding, he's one of the remaining 16 |
| 1:29.5 | hostage bodies that is held in Gaza. Just one more detail. Omar was considered a lone |
| 1:36.3 | soldier as he was American born to his Israeli parents, raised in the U.S. in Long Island, where |
| 1:42.2 | the Neutral family lives, And you two have been back and |
| 1:45.9 | forth so many times over the last two years fighting so tirelessly to bring him home. And now |
| 1:54.0 | you are waiting. And Ren, you told me yesterday that you're here right now in this very |
| 1:59.8 | delicate time, delicate or just in this |
| 2:03.9 | an endless waiting period. So why don't we start with that? You're here now in Israel. You've |
| 2:09.8 | been here, I assume, for, I don't know how long. Why don't you tell us? What are you doing |
| 2:14.8 | over these last days in order to see this to the end that you're looking for? |
... |
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