As we approach the third anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, an Israeli military announcement has brought a measure of justice to an American family whose son was killed that morning.
For Orna and Ronen Neutra, news that Israel killed a Hamas commander involved in abducting their son, Omer, and members of his tank crew, is profoundly personal. Behind the announcement is the memory of their 21-year-old son, the life he chose, and the future they will always wish he had.
I believe Americans should understand what this moment means. Israel’s determination to pursue the terrorists involved in Oct. 7 carries profound significance for families who continue to live with the pain of that day.
On Sept. 16, the Israeli military announced that an airstrike in Khan Younis had killed Jihad Samih Mahmoud Ismail, a squad commander in Hamas’s Nukhba Force. According to the IDF, Ismail participated in the Oct. 7 battle against a tank crew near Nirim and helped abduct the bodies of Omer Neutra and Oz Daniel, while taking Nimrod Cohen captive. Fellow crew member Shaked Dahan was also killed, and his body was taken into Gaza separately.
For Omer’s mother, the news brought back an image she cannot forget: A terrorist in a black cap standing on her son’s tank and pulling him out.
In her statement, Orna describes how those responsible had existed in her mind collectively as “the terrorists.” Now, she was confronting the image of an individual who had physically taken her son from his tank.
“There is justice in that. There is some comfort in it,” she writes. “And there is a sense of closure I did not even know I was waiting for.”
Those words convey something that a military announcement alone cannot. A mother can feel relief that a terrorist is gone while still carrying the full weight of losing her child.
Justice cannot restore the life that was taken. It can still matter deeply to those left behind.
Omer was an American Israeli raised in Plainview, Long Island. A grandson of Holocaust survivors, he grew up with a deep love for Israel and an understanding of what it meant to his family. His mother explains that, after years of speaking about Israel, he felt compelled to turn his words into action.
He chose to leave the United States and serve in the Israeli military as a lone soldier, far from his parents yet deeply connected to the country he had chosen to defend. He joined the Armored Corps, trained as an officer, and became a tank commander.
On Oct. 7, Omer was commanding Tank #3 near the Gaza border. Alongside him were Oz Daniel, Nimrod Cohen, and Shaked Dahan. Omer, Oz, and Shaked lost their lives. Nimrod survived roughly two years in Hamas captivity before returning home in October, 2025.
According to Orna’s account of what Nimrod later told the family, Omer continued to command his crew and fight even as he understood how desperate their circumstances had become.
That is how he deserves to be remembered: a young man whose courage and devotion to others endured in the most terrible circumstances.
For nearly 14 months after the attack, Orna and Ronen asked the world to help bring their son home. They met with officials, spoke to audiences across the U.S. and Israel, and held on to the hope that they would see him again.
On Dec. 2, 2024, they learned that Omer had been killed on Oct. 7 and his body taken into Gaza.
Through my reporting, I have come to know Orna and Ronen in moments of hope and heartbreak, witnessing their tireless appeals and joining those who gathered to mourn and honor Omer while his family was still waiting to bring him home.
When I read this latest news, I think of those parents and the strength it took to keep speaking. Each appearance required them to share their most personal anguish so the world would remember their son.
They helped Americans understand that Oct. 7 had reached into families and communities here, too. Omer came from Long Island. He had a home, friends, and possibilities in the U.S. He chose to serve Israel because its people and its future mattered to him.
His story belongs in America’s memory of Oct. 7.
The Israeli military and security personnel who carried out the operation deserve recognition. The family’s response expresses appreciation for their work. Their persistence has brought a moment of comfort to people who have endured a loss beyond measure.
That comfort should never be mistaken for an end to mourning. As Orna writes, “One circle, perhaps, has closed. Others, I now understand, probably never will.”
As the anniversary approaches, those words should stay with us. Families experience the passage of time differently from the public watching the headlines. An announcement can arrive years later and make the events of that morning feel immediate again.
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We owe these families our continued attention. We should remember the names of Omer, Oz, and Shaked, honor their courage, and recognize what Nimrod endured before returning home.
Omer’s story belongs in America’s memory of Oct. 7. The young man from Long Island who chose to defend Israel deserves to be remembered for his life and courage. His parents have carried that memory to the world. We have a responsibility to keep it alive.
Ariella Noveck is a journalist specializing in antisemitism and Middle East affairs, with extensive experience covering Jewish communities worldwide. She can be followed on X and Instagram @AriellaNoveck