Israeli hostage’s mother: ‘Any demand of cease-fire without release of hostages is a death sentence’

Sarah Fortinsky
·2 min read
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Orna Neutra, the mother of Israeli American hostage Omer Neutra, said Sunday that bringing home the hostages should be included in every cease-fire demand, warning that the alternative would be a “death sentence for them.”

“Bringing the hostages back should be the top priority. It should be the world’s top priority,” Orna Neutra said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper, alongside Omer’s father and brother.

“Everyone looking for de-escalation in the region should be opening the sentence saying, you know, ‘Release the hostages,’” she continued. “Any demand of cease-fire without release of hostages is a death sentence to them.”

In the interview, the three family members hesitated to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government specifically, but they said it’s clear more needs to be done.

“As far as what’s going on in Israel, you know, there’s a broad range. Everyone feels that more needs to be done. Everyone is demanding more from the government. You know people and different families have different perspectives on how to achieve that. And that’s what we’re seeing,” Orna Neutra continued.

Omer Neutra was born on Long Island, N.Y., and is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. He took a gap year to serve in the Israeli army and was kidnapped on Oct. 7 by Hamas, exactly six months ago.

Ronen Neutra, Omer’s father, said he was not sure enough was being done to prioritize the hostages.

“We’re not sure the priorities are right. There’s no question the war must be won. And Hamas must be eradicated but the hostages are running out of time,” he said. “And six months in, yesterday, it was just announced that one additional hostage was announced dead and his body was brought back to Israel.”

“We are constantly under that fear and the urgency; it’s not clear whether the Israeli administration has the priority right,” he continued.

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