'They're playing games': Mother of deceased American hostage blasts Hamas for 'breach'
Omer Neutra is one of two remaining deceased American Israeli hostages.
TEL AVIV, Israel -- Omer Neutra from New York state is one of two deceased American Israeli hostages whose bodies have still not been returned by Hamas.
"Omer does not deserve to end up under the rubble in Gaza. He needs to be brought home, and he needs to be buried with dignity," Omer’s mom, Orna, told ABC News during an interview on Monday near to Tel Aviv.
Orna described the past week, in which Hamas returned the remaining 20 living hostages and began returning the remains of 28 others, as “insane.” Every night she and her husband and Omer’s dad, Ronen, have been given the news that a small number of deceased hostages will be returned. Only hours later, normally in the middle of the night, the couple have gotten a call to say it’s not their son.
Over the course of the past week Hamas has returned 13 bodies of deceased hostages, according to the Israeli military. Another 15 are still unaccounted for, including that of Omer and Itay Chen, another American Israeli. Another returned set of remains didn’t match any of those who were presumed to have been taken hostage, Israel said last week.
On Tuesday, Hamas said two more bodies had been found. They will be handed over to Israeli authorities, according to Hamas.
Hamas has said in statements that it's searching for the remains of additional hostages but added that it's a difficult task because the bodies are buried under mountains of rubble . The militant group also sought to blame Israel for the delay, saying tools and personnel that could help find the bodies were being held up
"Among the difficulties we face in delivering the bodies of the prisoners [hostages] is the lack of heavy equipment to remove the rubble, and we have made this clear to the mediators," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said on Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said, "I know exactly how many hostage bodies Hamas is holding, and if we don't receive them -- Israel will know how to act accordingly."
Ronen Neutra said he believes Hamas has "a much larger knowledge of where the deceased hostages are" and is deliberately returning them slowly.
"I'm sure they’re playing games, because that’s what they [Hamas] do," Orna told ABC News.
"It’s a breach of the deal," she added, referring to the terms of the latest ceasefire.
Omer, 21, was a captain in the Israel Defense Forces on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel. Omer’s tank platoon was overrun by militants and he was killed, however his parents only learned of his death more than a year later.
Omer had been believed to have been taken alive to Gaza as a hostage, but the IDF in December 2024 said he was instead one of the about 1,200 killed during the surprise attack.
When ABC News asked Orna what it would mean to her to give her son a proper burial, she said she had been imagining in her head the moment that he’s brought back.
"I know I’m going to be devastated, but I also know it’s really necessary," she replied.
Orna described U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, as "the adults in the room" and said their arrival in Israel on Monday gave her hope that they would "keep things in place" so the ceasefire "will not derail."
The pair, who had helped push through the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, were expected to take part in high-level talks aimed at maintaining the delicate truce.
The Neutras heaped praise on Witkoff. Ronen said Witkoff had spoken to them about the loss of his own son.
"And we told him, 'Steve, you have a grave.' That’s the difference. We need a grave. We need a place where we can go and cry and mourn and have closure,” Ronen said.
He described his son, Omer, who grew up on Long Island, as a "fun loving kid, very athletic, a born leader," and he said people "gravitated to him."
ABC News' Hugo Leenhardt, Jordana Miller and Kuba Kaminski contributed to this report.
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