Ronen and Orna Neutra, of Plainview, parents of Gaza hostage Omer Neutra, speak at RNC

MILWAUKEE — The parents of Plainview native Omer Neutra, an Israeli soldier taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, have been to the White House, walked the halls of Congress and traveled to Qatar, all to plead for the return of their son and brother.

On Wednesday, before speaking at the Republican National Convention in a prime-time slot, the Neutras said they accepted the invitation to raise awareness about Omer and the remaining hostages being held by Hamas.

“We made a decision that we’re going to use any platform possible to speak up and bring awareness to this dire situation,” his father, Ronen Neutra, told Newsday at a news conference outside the Fiserv Forum when asked about their invitation to speak at the convention.

Ronen and Orna Neutra joined Liz Hirsh Naftali, the great aunt of Abigail Mor Edan, a 4-year-old American girl who was held captive for more than 50 days before being released alongside other women and children hostages, at a news conference hosted by Peggy Nance, a conservative activist who brought the group together.

Both the Neutras and Naftali emphasized rallying for the release of the hostages should be a bipartisan issue. Naftali, a Democratic political strategist, noted that Nance, a prominent conservative who leads the group Concerned Women for America, invited the families to speak in a “humanitarian” show of support.

Their calls for unity around the release of the hostages come as the Israel-Hamas war has become a politically divisive issue this election year, sparking protests between pro-Palestinian groups and supporters of Israel.

“It’s a large opportunity to speak up to a big part of the nation that maybe is not aware,” said Ronan Neutra. “Our job is to create awareness, tell the story of the hostages, to tell the story of Omer … we need our son home. We need to bring everyone back.”

The Neutras wore a piece of tape with the number 285 — the number of days their son has been held captive.

They later spoke onstage at the RNC, with Ronen Neutra leading the audience in a chant of "Bring them home."  

CORRECTION: Ronen Neutra spoke at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday about his son, who is an Israeli soldier taken hostage by Hamas. His name was misspelled in some editions. 

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.