Families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas meet with Biden at White House

WASHINGTON — The family of Omer Neutra, the Plainview native held hostage by Hamas militants, met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, joining other families of American hostages to press for their release.

The families met with Biden for nearly two hours, receiving updates on the ongoing efforts to secure the safe release of loved ones who have been held hostage by Hamas since the militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Two representatives speaking for the group of eight families declined to go into detail about what was said in the closed-door session, but said they felt they had a “friend” in the president.

“The U.S. administration is completely committed to getting the hostages out,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui, 35, was abducted from an Israeli kibbutz during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Dekel-Chen, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen who had been living in Israel with his son, added: “President Biden and [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken only reinforced that … they are willing and ready to do all that they possibly can by any number of means to get the hostages.”

Ronen and Orna Neutra did not speak during a brief news conference with reporters, but they wore shirts with a photo of their 22-year-old son, under the words “Bring Them Home.”

Omer Neutra, 22, is a graduate of the Schechter School of Long Island in Williston Park, where he was an honors student and captain of the basketball, soccer and volleyball teams. He took a gap year after college and went to Israel to connect with his family’s roots. His parents are both dual U.S. and Israeli citizens and had served in the Israeli military.

Neutra joined the Israeli military soon after moving overseas. He is an officer and tank commander.

His family last heard from Omer during a phone call a day before the Hamas attack. About 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages were taken into the Gaza strip, according to Israeli officials.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, speaking about the meeting at the daily White House press briefing, said Biden was “moved by their stories, by the love they feel, by the hope they still harbor, and he harbors that hope, too.”

“These are difficult days for these families,” Kirby said. “As we all prepare for the holiday season that’s already upon us, we would do well to remember that for them, there’s going to be an empty chair at the table, there’s going to be a still and a silence in the room, and there’s going to be irrepressible ache and worry and fear. The president understands that, the whole team understands that, so we should all keep them in our thoughts.”

The meeting came a day after Biden, in a campaign fundraiser, said Israel was losing global support for its war against Hamas because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, has reported more than 18,600 people have been killed since the start of the war.

Kirby, asked about Biden’s remarks, said the president “was expressing concerns that we continue to see civilian casualties in Gaza and again, that we want to make sure … that they are able to minimize civilian casualties.”

Liz Hirsch Naftali, the great-aunt of 4-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, who was recently released, said those still held captive “are not just numbers, and they’re not just hostages. They are sons, they are grandparents, they are mothers.”

Biden and the families had not met in person prior to Wednesday, but he has previously spoken to several by phone and video teleconference. A photo of the meeting posted on the social media site X shows the Neutra family sitting directly to Biden's left.

In the post, the president wrote that he told the families he "will continue doing everything possible to secure the release of their family members. And that we will not give up hope.”

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.