The Israeli military said Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old dual citizen who also served in the IDF, was killed during Hamas’s attack on Israel over a year ago. The IDF said Hamas was holding his body, describing him as “a fallen soldier held hostage by a terrorist organization.”

The IDF said Neutra’s body is still being held hostage in Gaza. It is unclear what prompted the IDF to announce its findings. In previous instances when a hostage was found dead, the finding was based on new intelligence and evidence.

“Omer loved sports, playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and served as the captain of his school’s sports teams,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “Family and friends described him as a warm, optimistic, and caring individual who ‘lights up the room the moment he enters.’”

Neutra grew up on Long Island, New York. During the time of the Hamas attack, he was doing military service when the terrorist organization invaded southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and capturing 250 hostages.

Throughout the roughly year he was believed to be held hostage, Neutra’s parents, Orna and Ronen Neutra, were vocal advocates of releasing the hostages. 

“We are private and not very political, and yet we find ourselves caught up in the middle of the most controversial geopolitical war in decades. Our life as we knew it, is gone,” Orna Neutra wrote in an op-ed published in the New York Post in August.

Omer Neutra’s parents addressed the Republican National Convention and met at the White House with President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, they were critical of Netanyahu’s leadership, writing in the op-ed that they “questioned his sincerity and sense of urgency.”

Still, Netanyahu praised their son as “a hero of the Israeli army.”

“Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every aspect of his being,” Netanyahu said in a statement Monday. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the I.D.F., chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”

Omer Neutra was one of seven American citizens held hostage in Gaza. Now, four, including Omer Neutra, have been pronounced dead. In a statement, Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were “devastated and outraged” by the announcement of Omer Neutra’s death.

“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,” Biden wrote. “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.”