TEL AVIV – An Israeli-American soldier believed to have been captured alive by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack was actually killed that day and his body taken to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said on Monday with.

Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old New York native who served as a tank platoon leader after emigrating to Israel, was killed in action, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X as he paid tribute.

“Omer’s life story and his commitment represent the best and strongest that we have built as a nation,” he said in a post on It borders Gaza and is one of the hardest-hit areas when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel.

However, the military did not say how it came to the conclusion about Neutra’s death. It added that he had been posthumously promoted to captain.

According to Israeli information, around 250 people were taken hostage in the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were also killed. About 100 people remain captive, but a third are presumed dead.

Neutra was born and raised in the United States before emigrating to Israel as a lone soldier and joining the Armored Corps, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an advocacy group for prisoners and their families.

A statement released on Monday said his body was still being held captive by Hamas.

Neutra is survived by his parents Ronen and Orna Neutra and his brother Daniel Neutra.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his “sincere condolences” to the family. “We share the family’s deep sadness,” he said in a statement, adding: “We will continue to act decisively and tirelessly until we have returned all of our prisoners – the living and the dead.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who met with Neutra’s parents in March, also expressed her condolences to his family. “We pray that his body can be returned to his family, who have stood up for him and all the hostages since that terrible day,” she said in a post on X.

Speaking to NBC News’ “TODAY” in September, Neutra’s parents called for a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

“Basically every morning we ask ourselves, ‘What are we going to do today to get him out?'” Ronen Neutra said, adding that it is “crucial that people don’t forget the hostages.”

News of Neutra’s death came just two days after the mother of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander told NBC News she was both shocked and relieved to see her son in a propaganda video released by Hamas.

“To get this video, it’s a big relief for me to see that he’s still going strong. It was amazing,” Yael Alexander said in a video call on Saturday, hours after the video with the caption “Time is running out” was posted on the Telegram channel of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades.

The 20-year-old, who appears under duress in the Hamas video, is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to use his power to negotiate for the freedom of those who continue to be held captive in Gaza.

While a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon appeared to be holding, there was little sign of progress in talks to free the remaining hostages or end fighting with Hamas in Gaza, where more than 44,000 people were staying have killed in 14 months of war, according to local health authorities.

Hamas leaders held talks with Egyptian security officials on Sunday to explore options for a deal with Israel that could secure the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.