Omer Neutra, a 22-year-old American, has been held hostage by Hamas for more than 330 days.
His parents, Orna and Ronen Neutra, residents of Long Island, told Fox News Digital their son is a friend to everyone.
“He sees people. He pays attention. He has this great sense of humor. So, he touches so many,” said Orna Neutra.
Ronen Neutra said his son loves the New York Knicks.
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“He knows all their stats, whether they win or lose. We hope that those numbers and the stats in his head are keeping him busy,” he added. “Because we are 11 months in, and that’s far too long.”
The parents wear a piece of duct tape on their shirts, changing it each day, to mark how long their son has been in captivity.
Omer Neutra turns 23 next month.
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He and others have remained in captivity since Oct. 7, 2023, including Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
Goldberg-Polin’s family confirmed Hersh’s death Sunday after he was murdered by Hamas. The Neutra family expressed devastation about the loss.
“They are practically our family now. And knowing that Hersh managed to survive 11 months in the most terrible conditions, including his injury and everything else. And to be executed the way he was with [the] other five hostages is just appalling and shows us who we’re dealing with. Hamas is a bunch of monsters,” Ronen said.
Goldberg-Polin’s body was among the remains of six hostages recovered by the Israel Defense Forces.
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“This intensifies the sense of urgency to get them out, actually. It’s been way too long. Their lives are at risk every single day. … It’s a terror organization. We realize that, and that only makes it even more urgent to get them out because we see that, as time goes by, the risk only increases,” Orna said.
At least seven American citizen hostages are believed to be in Gaza.
“Unfortunately, making a deal with a terrorist organization like Hamas, it’s that impossible. It’s not like we’re negotiating with them. It’s what they want. They’re holding our children. You can’t negotiate with them. You know, it’s almost like losing in advance because they’re holding our precious ones so that, you know, they are putting the rules of the game,” Ronen said.
Orna and Ronen are dual American Israeli citizens with Holocaust survivors on both sides of the family.
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Ronen’s grandfather was in Yugoslavia and joined the Jewish Partisans after he was let go from a factory to save his family and fight the Nazis.
After the war, he moved to Israel and was one of the few who survived.
Orna’s grandfather saved his family multiple times from the Nazis and hid on the Polish border with Slovakia, she said.
“Due to resiliency and taking action and not waiting for things to just resolve themselves — these are the qualities that saved both of our families. And we’re really praying and hoping that Omer embodies these qualities and is surviving,” she added.
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Orna and Ronen addressed the Republican National Convention last month to bring awareness to the situation.
Before the two spoke, people at the convention erupted in a “bring them home” chant.
“We were very touched, and we’re really touched, by the support of the public. And we feel it,” said Orna.
There have been 1,896 total reported antisemitic incidents on college campuses since Oct. 7, a 700% increase from the previous year, according to Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world that works with thousands of college students globally.
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“We are appalled by the lack of understanding of the conflict by the TikTok generation that picks up a small, short video and thinks they understand the conflict,” Ronen said.
Ronen urges college students to read and learn about the Gaza conflict.
“Trying to say that ‘from the river to the sea’ or whatever means the destruction of Israel and elimination of the Jewish people from Israel. If you are calling for that, you are as bad as Hamas,” he said.
Orna said people who care about the Palestinian people should be focused on the release of hostages.
“If you are really concerned about loss of life and the devastation in the region, which we are too, then you should be calling for the release of the hostages and for complete escalation in the region and for Hamas to surrender,” she said.
The Neutras said they have been speaking with the White House on a regular basis, but until their son is back, not enough has been done.
“We wake up every morning, and we ask ourselves, ‘What are we doing today to advance our cause and getting closer to bringing home and the rest of the hostages?'” Ronen said.
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