Mothers of Fallen Soldiers Reflect on Grief and Return After October 7
Mothers of fallen soldiers Oz Daniel, Omer Neutra, and Tamir Nimrodi reflect on grief, the agonizing wait, and processing their sons' return for burial in Israel.
Even when they knew that their sons—Sgt. Oz Daniel, Capt. Omer Neutra, and Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi—were likely no longer among the living, their mothers allowed themselves to hope. It was a quiet, fragile hope that a miracle had occurred or that a mistake had been made. There was also a more sober, realistic hope that the boys would be returned for burial in Israel. They wanted the circle of terror that opened on the morning of October 7, 2023, to finally close.
Marking one year since the return of the boys to their homeland, we returned to Merav Daniel, Orna Neutra, and Chirit Nimrodi to hear from them about the immense pain, the deep longing, and the processing of the disaster that only became possible after their return for burial in Israel.
Missing What Was and What Was Supposed to Be
Merav Daniel, mother of the late Sgt. Oz Daniel, reflects on the journey: "There are several chapters in our story. For 142 days, we thought Oz was alive. In February 2024, we were informed that he was killed on the day of his abduction, and in November 2025, he was returned for burial. It is a story that began with immense optimism and hope and ended in profound pain. The hope ended in February 2024, which caused us to lower our energy in the struggle for his return. We continued to fight, of course, but not with the same intensity as when we still thought Oz was alive, suffering in captivity.
"We went through a process of suspended grief—you understand you are dealing with loss, but you do not truly process it. To this day, I do not process that Oz is gone, but now I have more time to sit and process everything that happened during this period. As long as Oz was in Gaza, I was on autopilot; I had no peace. Even after it turned out he was killed, I was plagued by questions of whether he would return, when, and how. These questions drove me crazy."
The Finality of Certainty
Orna Neutra, mother of the late Capt. Omer Neutra, shares her perspective on the ongoing absence and the moment of return. "On October 7 a year ago, we were with President Trump. We came to strengthen his hands and thank him for everything he is doing for the hostages. The next day, the latest deal was signed. The other families who were with us at his place received different news. We were very happy for them, of course, but for us, there was no joy in the announcement of the deal.
"We went through a few crazy weeks of waiting and wondering if it would really happen, if there was a chance they would find everyone. It was nerve-wracking. On November 2 a year ago, it happened. Steve Witkoff called us right after the IDF informed us that the officers were on their way to us, meaning Omer had been returned and identified, and within five minutes Trump was on the line."
Coping with the Void
Chirit Nimrodi, mother of the late Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, describes the agonizing wait and the aftermath of the return. "After so many months, even years, without signs of life, and with Hamas's claim hanging over us that Tamir was gone—and even though we knew the probability of him being returned alive was low—we refused to give up for even a moment the hope that he was coming back to us. We held onto the hope that Tamir was being held alive in some corner no one knew about.
"Most of the time, I exist in such numbness, in a lack of feeling, and I try to overcome it and tell myself, with all the difficulty, that I am here, that I stayed alive, and I need to live—for my daughters, for myself. It is not easy. Tamir accompanies me in my daily life through my actions, and I strive to make them meaningful, just as he was and wanted to be."
