Trump: ‘Hell to Pay’ if Gaza Hostages Not Free By Jan. 20
Daily News Article — Posted on December 3, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump said there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if the hostages held [by Hamas] in the Gaza Strip were not released before his Jan. 20 inauguration.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote Monday in a Truth Social post. “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
Trump’s post came on the same day Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Cpt. Omer Neutra, 21, was killed during Iranian-backed Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Neutra, a native of Plainview, New York, served as a platoon tank commander IDF 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion. He had long been assumed to be alive, but was actually killed during the terrorist attack, with his body taken to the Gaza Strip by Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Neutra was stationed with his Battalion near the community of Nahal Oz when Hamas ambushed his unit during the terror attack on October 7.
His parents previously told The Post that his tank was set ablaze by the terrorists, with footage showing the Hamas fighters surrounding the burning armored vehicle as they pulled four men out.
Neutra was believed to still be alive after the IDF confirmed the deaths of two of his fellow soldiers following the Oct. 7 massacre. The fate of the fourth soldier, Sgt. Nimrod Cohen, remains unknown.
Omer Neutra
Neutra, a Knicks fan and prominent high school athlete, deferred [put on hold] his acceptance to Binghamton University in New York to take a gap year in Israel in 2020, where he would go on to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Ronen, Neutra’s father, said his son was moved by the dedication of his fellow trainees and felt it wouldn’t be right for him to leave them alone while he went back to New York to resume his studies.
Just hours before the terror attack began, Neutra was talking with his parents about his upcoming birthday.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, his mother, Orna, and Ronen have become one of the most vocal advocates calling on Israel and the US to do whatever they can to free the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Neutra was among the eight Israeli-American hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 massacre who were not freed during last year’s brief hostage exchange.
He is now the fifth American to be confirmed dead.
Israeli authorities say there are still 62 hostages alive in Gaza. Hamas is also holding the bodies of 35 hostages who were murdered — either on Oct. 7 or while they were in captivity. In total 251 people were abducted from Israel during the terrorist attack last year.
President Biden, who met with Neutra’s parents recently at the White House said on Monday said he was “devastated” to learn of Neutra’s death.
“Our hearts are heavy today. Jill and I are devastated and outraged to learn of the death of Omer Neutra, an American citizen, whose body Hamas has apparently been holding since they killed him during their brutal terrorist attack on October 7,” Biden said in a White House statement, adding Neutra had hoped to return to the United States to attend college.
“Less than a month ago, Omer’s mother and father joined me at the White House to share the pain they’ve endured as they prayed for the safe return of their son — pain no parent should ever know. They told me how Omer’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and how their family’s strength and resilience has been carried through the generations.
“During this dark hour — as our nation joins Omer’s parents, brother, and family in grieving this tragic loss — we pray to find strength and resilience. And to all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong.”
Compiled from Dec. 2 reports at Scripps News, UPI, Reuters and NY Post.
On Saturday, prior to the confirmation of Omer Neutra’s death at the hands of Hamas, the terrorists released a video of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who grew up in New Jersey.
This is the first time a video of Alexander has emerged since he was taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Alexander says in the video he has been held captive for more than 420 days, which raises the possibility the video was taken in the last 24 hours.
On Oct. 7, 2024 Donald Trump visited the grave of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in Queens with the parents and brother of Edan Alexander. Trump holds a poster of Alexander as he stands next to his brother.
A statement from U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett called the hostage video “a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own.”
“The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately – and would have ended months ago – if Hamas agreed to release the hostages,” it said. (from ABC News NY and Axios)
Questions
1. Who is Omer Neutra?
2. What devastating news were Neutra's parents given by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) on Monday?
3. How was Omer Neutra taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023?
4. What do you learn about Neutra from this article?
5. a) Hamas brutally murdered over 1,200 men, women and children on October 7. How many people did Hamas terrorists kidnap into Gaza on that day?
b) How many of the kidnapped are believed to be alive today?
c) How many bodies of those murdered by Hamas - either on Oct. 7 or while they were in captivity - are still being held in Gaza today?
6. Hamas is funded, armed and trained by the Iranian regime. During his first term in office, Trump reimposed UN sanctions on Iran, a sponsor of terrorists around the world. When he took office, Biden dropped the sanctions in an effort to appease the mullahs running Iran.
After more than a year, the Biden administration has not been able to gain the release of our hostages.
Re-read President Biden's statement following the news of Omer Neutra's death (paragraphs 17-19). Contrast this with President-elect Trump's statement (para. 2-3). Going forward, which do you think will be more effective in getting Hamas to release the hostages (three of whom are American citizens)? Explain your answer.
Background
What happened on October 7?
On October 7, 2023, thousands of armed Hamas terrorists tore down large parts of the Gaza security fence using tractors, RPGs and explosives and invaded southern Israel. Simultaneously, Hamas terrorists in Gaza fired thousands of rockets toward Israel.
Some 1,500 terrorists successfully broke through the fence in vehicles and by foot. Some used motorized paragliders to fly over the fence, and others attempted to invade through the sea, aiming for Israel’s Zikim Beach.
The terrorists split up and made their way to a number of Israeli towns and IDF bases surrounding Gaza. That is when the massacre began. They invaded the towns, shooting everything in sight. They broke into civilian homes, shooting, burning, raping and beheading. Over 1,300 civilians were murdered, and over 200 were abducted. Hamas terrorists briefly took control of about 10 Israeli towns, terrorizing and brutalizing their residents.
Simultaneously, additional terrorists drove on to the Nova Music Festival, which took place in a nearby open area. Partygoers were waking up to the sound of sirens and attempting to evacuate due to the threat of rockets. Many of them did not reach safety. The terrorists fired indiscriminately at the thousands of civilians who came from all over the world to celebrate peace through music.
They massacred hundreds, raped young women, brutalized bodies, and abducted many. 260 bodies were later found in the area of the festival, most of them belonging to young men and women—innocent youth.
IDF forces operated to neutralize the terrorists and thwart their infiltration; however, the terrorists were also ambushing IDF bases, killing soldiers and hurling grenades and explosives. Still, field observers used a sniper sighting system, tanks fired shells, and combat helicopters and special forces were deployed to the scene.
The State of Israel has never encountered such a large-scale, calculated attack on the Gaza front.
Many were lost not only during the initial attacks but also during the prolonged, bloody battles to regain control of the towns and bases surrounding Gaza, clear them from terrorists and rescue as many hostages held in Israeli territory as possible. When forces were able to regain control of the towns, they were faced with grotesque sights of Hamas’ pure violence that were left behind.
Cribs and baby carriers were found bloodstained. Families were found embracing each other, lifeless. Pets were left behind, among them a dog refusing to leave a child’s bed, waiting for its owners who will never return.
October 7th will forever be remembered as a dark day in Israel’s history and in humanity’s history. A reminder that there are humans capable of utterly inhumane things. (from idf.il/eng)
On October 7, 2023, as part of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 251 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and elderly people. In addition to hostages with only Israeli citizenship, almost half of the hostages are foreign nationals or have multiple citizenships. Some hostages were Negev Bedouins. The precise ratio of soldiers and civilians among the captives is unknown. The captives are likely being held in different locations in the Gaza Strip. (from wikipedia)
