Lawmakers hold moment of silence for Omer Neutra's killing as thousands mourn at local synagogue

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday night held a moment of silence for American-Israeli Omer Neutra who was determined this week to have been killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, after he was believed to have killed. he lived for more than a year.

Neutra, 21 years old, was a tank commander in the 7th Armored Brigade's 77th Battalion in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and was among the first to respond to the Hamas attack that eventually killed around 1,200 people and initially saw many hostages. more than 250 men, women and children.

His parents, Orna and Ronen, who spoke to Fox News Digital a few days before the tragic incident, believe their son is still alive after the IDF's long investigation that he, along with Nimrod Cohen, another soldier in his tank, were captured. he entered Gaza and remained alive.

7 US CAPTIVES STILL HELD BY HAMAS TERRORISTS AS FAMILIES CALL FOR THEIR RELEASE: 'THIS IS URGENT'

“For 420 days Omer's parents and his brother Daniel did everything they could with the love and support of hundreds of thousands of others to free their son from captivity,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, DN.Y., district representative for the Neutra family. , he said as he left the house. “Every day they soldiered on because of deep sorrow and short bursts of hope. They go from nagging anxiety to strong determination.

“A few days ago we learned that this brave young man, this bright light, this brave idea, sacrificed a lot,” continued Suozzi. “Omer has not been alive for the past 422 days, he was killed on October 7.”

Footage of the attack on Omer's tank showed the commander, along with three others, Shaked Dahan, Oz Daniel and Nimrod Cohen being pulled from the military vehicle by Hamas terrorists and taken hostage.

Daniel and Dahan were previously presumed killed following the attack, and according to the IDF, intelligence now suggests that Omer, a descendant of Holocaust survivors, was also killed on Oct. 7. 2023.

Syosset, NY: Daniel Neutral, brother of Omar Neutra, surrounded by father Ronen Neutra and mother Orna Neutra at the Midway Jewish Center on December 3, 2024 in Syosset, New York spoke during the memorial service for Omar Neutra, an Israeli-American. who was killed by Hamas terrorists. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

AMERICAN FATHER OF HAMAS HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN PUSHES US, ISRAEL INTO 'PLAN B' AS NEGOTIATIONS ARE MADE.

The Israeli military did not say how they came by this new information and Cohen's fate is unknown.

At Omer's memorial service Tuesday at the Long Island synagogue where he reportedly celebrated his bar mitzvah years ago, Omer's father, Ronen, said the news left them “breathless and empty.”

“It's been a year now, we are breathing your life, my beautiful boy,” Orna said through tears, according to reports. “With the hope and love of so many, we have been walking and walking, keeping you alive, speaking your name everywhere, suppressing any despair, not stopping to breathe or feel the deep pain of your absence. ”

“Now things are clear,” he said to the 1,500 people who attended the service. “But not as we hoped.”

Onra and Ronen described their son as loving, a good friend and an athlete, but they also highlighted his leadership skills and how his actions on October 7, 2023 saved lives.

Omer's body is believed to be still being held by Hamas along with six other American hostages, only three of whom are believed to be alive by the IDF at this time, including Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Keith Siegel.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin's body was found after he, along with five others, were found murdered by Hamas in a tunnel in Gaza in August.

These are the American hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 and held in Gaza, only Hersh Goldberg-Polin (Left) was returned to Israel after the IDF found him and other hostages killed by the terrorists. Pictured next to Hersh are Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai and Keith Siegel. (Fox News Photo)

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

There are still 100 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza following the discovery on Wednesday of the body of Itai Svirski, an Israeli hostage taken during the raid on Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023.

The IDF confirmed that “he was killed in captivity by his captors, and his body was kept as a hostage in the Gaza Strip.”