American Omer Neutra was one of 24 murdered hostages still not returned by Hamas in the historic handover Monday — a fresh torture for their long-tormented loved ones.
“It’s one of the worst days for us in the last two years,” the 21-year-old’s father, Ronen Neutra, told The Post about the pain of seeing 20 living hostages reunited with their families while they still await answers.
“It’s a continual horror for the families,” said the dad, a native of Plainview, Long Island. “We don’t know when we’re going to get our son … Will it be today, in two hours, in one week — or never?”
Omer Neutra, 21, an IDF captain from Plainview, Long Island, was kidnapped and killed by Hamas on the first day of the war. via REUTERSWhile Hamas released all 20 living hostages back to Israel on Monday, the terror group unexpectedly announced it would only be releasing the remains of four of the 28 bodies it still held.
That low number “shocked and dismayed” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which called it “a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also called it “a failure to meet [Hamas’] commitments.”
Omer Neutra’s family told The Post they’re hoping an end to the war will help them be able to put the pieces of their shattered lives back together after finally achieving a sense of some closure. REUTERS“Any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a blatant violation of the agreement and will be met accordingly,” he warned.
The four bodies being returned were those of Guy Illouz, 26, Daniel Peretz, 22, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Bipin Joshi, 22. Joshi’s family had hoped the Nepalese agriculture student was still alive right up until his name was on Hamas’ list of the dead being returned.
The family of kidnapped soldier Tamir Nimrodi, 20, also assumed he was alive — until he was also left off the list of living hostages being returned.
They are now among the 24 families still waiting for news on when the remains will be returned — if at all. Hamas has claimed it doesn’t know where some of the bodies are, while an Israeli official warned as many as 15 might never be retrieved, the Times of Israel reported.
President Trump, however, vowed Monday that the remains of all of them would eventually be returned.
“It’s a pretty gruesome task,” he told the peace summit in Egypt after leaving Israel.
Here’s the latest on the Gaza cease-fire deal
- Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump address cheering crowds in Tel Aviv to celebrate peace deal
- 200 US soldiers arrive in Israel, as Witkoff confirms IDF troops completed first phase of withdrawal from Gaza
- Trump set to fly to Israel to mark historic peace deal while preparing public for grim hostage release
- Putin chides Nobel winners who ‘did nothing for peace’ — tries to cozy up to Trump with Gaza deal praise
- American military to oversee initial Gaza peacekeeping force — but ‘no US troops are intended to go into Gaza’
“They (Hamas) know the areas [where they’re located] and… they’re doing it in conjunction with Israel, and they’re going to be finding quite a few of them.”
Omer Neutra’s family was among those who had earlier relayed their ongoing anguish to Trump moments before he walked out to address Israel’s parliament to thunderous applause.
The families “thanked the president for everything he’s done” — but “also reminded him that it’s not over until all 28 deceased hostages” are home, Neutra’s dad said.
“It’s not over,” Ronen Neutra stressed, saying the 24 families still awaiting news remain “in agony.”
“We’re just hoping that it’s not going to be a celebration of victory until the last hostage is back.”
A cease-fire deal agreed to by Israel and Hamas Wednesday night could finally see an end to the two-year war. APThe father of fellow Israeli-American hostage Itay Chen also described the pain of Monday’s events, not knowing whether his son will return or even whether he is alive or dead.
Although the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Ruby Chen that his 19-year-old son was killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, it could not provide definitive proof, meaning he is still holding out hope of a miracle.
“President Trump reiterated his commitment to the remaining hostages, including the two US citizens,” Brooklyn-born Chen told The Post, describing his earlier Monday meeting with the president.
“My family is still waiting and is very much in anxiety for an update if and when our son will be released,” he said.
The families were reportedly told that locating all of the remains of their dead loved ones would be extremely difficult, and that it was also unclear how many of the hostages died in the initial Oct. 7 attacks and how many died in captivity.
Returning all the hostages is a crucial part of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
Senior Israeli officials said any intentional delay by Hamas in returning the bodies would be a violation of the agreement.
“The urgent mission we are all committed to now is to ensure the return of all the fallen hostages home,” Katz, the defense minister, wrote on X.






