Op-Ed All The Hostages Must Be Released

All The Hostages Must Be Released 
BY John Avlon

We need to talk about Omer Neutra.

It has been one year since this son of Long Island was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists in the horrific attack one year ago, on October 7^th.

The world has witnessed the ever-widening cycle of violence ever since, and we mourn the death of every innocent civilian. But we cannot forget how this conflagration began and we cannot lose the sense of moral clarity that comes with confronting the tyranny of terrorism.

New Yorkers understand from hard experience that we must always stand with the victims of terrorism and not blame the victims of terrorism. As a former journalist and author of a book on extremism, I believe that there is a special responsibility among people who are not Jewish to stand up to antisemitism and stand up for the state of Israel’s right to exist.  

Nonetheless, over the past year, there has been an impulse to overlook the hostages in our culture instead of the sustained attention each and every one deserves. But this one hits closer to home.

Omer was born in the wake of 9/11. His mother Orna evacuated Manhattan by foot over the Queensborough bridge months before he was born. Like every child who arrived while Ground Zero was still smoldering, he was a symbol of enduring hope in a civil society where posters of missing persons dotted the cityscape for months.

He grew up in Plainview and excelled at school and sports. He was a happy child and a natural leader. His love of the Knicks in the 2010s helped strengthen his innate optimism and resilience.

After graduating from high school, he took a gap year in Israel, planning to attend Binghamton University. He decided to join the IDF as part of his commitment to public service. He responded to the massive terror attack that began with an assault on young people dancing at an open-air concert. It was an assault that targeted women with sexual violence and left dead children on the dusty ground. We cannot ignore or whitewash those atrocities that left more than 1,200 dead and over 250 individuals held hostage. Omer was among them.

We have seen miraculous rescue missions succeed in liberating hostages being held in Gaza. We have received the heartbreaking news that many more bodies have been recovered. Omer’s whereabouts are still unknown. His parents Ronan and Orna have been tireless in their advocacy for the son, speaking to Democrats and Republicans and President Biden. Their steadfast courage and love in the face of this nightmare should inspire and guide us all.

Soon after I began this campaign in the winter of 2024, I was asked at a debate whether I supported an immediate ceasefire. I immediately and instinctively said, “not unless all the hostages are released.” I still believe that is a necessary precondition for peace.

Throughout this tumultuous year, I have seen the fading away of the rightful focus on the hostages. I have marched with those local citizens who fight to keep their memory alive, walking with police escort because of the threat of further violence. We need to stop the hate here at home – condemning hate crimes against synagogues, temples, and mosques alike.

We need to work toward a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. We need a two-state solution with a demilitarized Palestinian state, the eradication of Hamas, and an extension of the Abraham Accords that recognizes Israel’s right to exists and rebuilds Gaza into something better than it was under Hamas. These are not easy goals and they will not be achieved from the extremes.

But it is our responsibility to see that Omer Neutra does not fade from memory. He is a son of New York, a child of Long Island. And he is not forgotten. Just the other day, at the Sweet Hollow Diner, in Melville, a woman came up to me and pleaded to keep the focus on the release or Omer, pointing down the street and saying with despair, “he grew up just a few blocks from here!”

We will keep our promise as a community. We will march and walk and talk together to commemorate this dark anniversary and we will not rest. Because there can be no just and lasting peace until all the hostages are released. 

John Avlon is the Democratic candidate for CD 1